Hellboy Whitewashing Concerns Result In Actor Dropping Out

Following concerns about whitewashing in this year's Ghost in the Shell film adaptation, a similar situation recently arose with regard to the upcoming Hellboy reboot. Actor Ed Skrein has now announced his resignation from the film in light of concerns over his casting.

Skrein, the English actor best known for his role as Deadpool bad guy Ajax (as well as the original version of Daario on Game of Thrones) was recently revealed to be playing Hellboy's Major Ben Daimio. This caused some controversy, as the character is of mixed Asian heritage, which Skrein said he did not know. In light of this, he's decided to step down from the role. Skrein shared the news in a message posted on Twitter, saying, "I must do what I feel is right."

"It is clear that representing this character in a culturally accurate way holds significance for people, and that to neglect this responsibility would continue a worrying tendency to obscure ethnic minority stories and voices in the arts," he wrote. "I feel it is important to honour and respect that."

Among the other actors cast for Hellboy so far are Resident Evil's Milla Jovovich as the villainous Blood Queen and Deadwood star Ian McShane as Professor Broom. David Harbour will play the titular role, and he spoke recently about how the movie won't focus significantly on Hellboy's origins. A release date has not yet been set, but the film will be directed by Neil Marshall, who is best known for his work on Game of Thrones, Doomsday, and The Descent.