Ed Skrein Leaves ‘Hellboy’ Reboot After Whitewashing Backlash; Lionsgate & Millennium Respond

Deadline ^ | August 28, 2017 | Dino-Ray Ramos

[EdnaMode]

Last week, when Ed Skrein was excited to announce that he would be playing the character of Major Ben Daimio in the upcoming Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen. In the comics, the character is of Asian heritage and there was an immediate backlash from the APA community. Today, Skrein took to Twitter responding to the public outcry saying, “I must do what I feel is right” and announced that he would be stepping down from the role.

Hellboy producers Larry Gordon and Lloyd Levin and Lionsgate & Millennium made a statement to Deadline saying, “Ed came to us and felt very strongly about this. We fully support his unselfish decision. It was not our intent to be insensitive to issues of authenticity and ethnicity, and we will look to recast the part with an actor more consistent with the character in the source material.”

Read Skrein’s full statement below.

[EdnaMode]

Yet it's okay to have black, Hispanic, and Asian actors play the Founding Fathers in Broadway's Hamilton.....

[Bullish]

This liberal insanity continues until every ethnic group hates every other ethnic group.

This is all part of un-Americanizing America.

[Truth29]

Since they are going to play the racial division games, this is another reason to boycott the film.

[Bratch]

Or casting an black actor as a Norse god.

[Mr. K]

There was a remake of Cinderella by Whitney Houston about 15 year ago- my kids loved it.

It was a White King, married to a black wife, with an Asian son and both Cinderella and The Fairy Godmother were black and the evil step sisters were white.

Race played NO ISSUE in the movie, they just were what they were! And it worked BEAUTIFULLY! One of the best children movies ever.

[freedumb2003]

>>Or casting an black actor as a Norse god.<<

South central Norway.

[Yo-Yo]

Boyz n da fijord.

[freedumb2003]

8 Fjord.

Oh wait, that was a white guy...

[semaj]

Remember what happened in Serbia and Bosnia Herzegovina? Hence the term Balkanization.

[Telepathic Intruder]

Social justice warriors today would go ape $#!+ over David Carradine playing Qui Chang Caine.

"

Or how about Burt Reynolds playing a Native American:

[poinq]

I hate to say it. But I actually like this. I want movies that have something to do with the book and not some character who has little to do with the book slapped into an old discarded Amazing Hulk script. Just to trick the Hell Boy fans into going to the movie.

Most of these actors who play comic book characters are quite out of place. I mean Michael Keaton playing Batman? Its just stupid. This should not be about race. It should be about Hollywood producing good movies.

[DouglasKC]

And it’s okay to recast other superheroes whatever color, ethnicity or gender you want...as long as the original hero was white.

[Bob]

Maybe Robert Lee can take a leave of absence from ESPN to play the part. :=)

[Dilbert San Diego]

That’s right. Because in Hamilton they wanted to make a liberal political statement. So that was ok, per liberal criteria.

[Yo-Yo]

Sheesh, I misspelled 'fjord.' My pubic education is showing.

Pun intended.

[katana]

Burt at least reputedly has some Cherokee ancestry, and shows it more than most of us. Seven or eight generations of dilution after your ancestor crossed the Cumberland Gap and found a wife doesn’t leave much visible trace.

[Yo-Yo]

John Wayne as Genghis Khan?

[Let's Roll]

Or casting Tom Cruise instead of trying to find someone like Jason Witten to play Jack Reacher.

[EdnaMode]

Haha good one!

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Qui Chang Caine was not of full Chinese heritage. One of his parents was Caucasian. Which is why Carradine was cast. He was able to affect that look.

But, you're right. All the usual suspects today would go @p3sh!t.