“Hellboy” Reboot Negotiates For Asian-American Character After Backlash

Director Neil Marshall and the rest of the "Hellboy" reboot team seem to be correcting the damage that they recently encountered. Talks are now on the table to get Korean American actor Daniel Dae Kim for the role vacated by Ed Skrein.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kim is being wooed to take the role of Major Ben Daimio, the Japanese American member of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. Daimio, former military personnel that can transform into a jaguar, will be one of the new characters that will work with the titular demon in the new "Hellboy" reboot.

Lionsgate's "Hellboy" reboot received an overwhelming backlash especially in social media due to allegedly whitewashing the character, originally causing the British Skrein for the role. In the middle of the outcry of another Hollywood whitewashing, Skein, who played the big baddie Ajax alongside Ryan Reynolds' eponymous Merc with a Mouth in "Deadpool", gracefully bowed out of the project.

As reported by Gamespot, the "Hellboy" reboot producers released a statement stating that they never intended to be insensitive to authenticity and ethnicity. Lionsgate also stated that they are working to be more consistent with the "Hellboy" source material.

The Korea-born Kim was previously seen as Detective Chin Ho Kelly on another reboot, CBS' "Hawaii Five-O", before dropping the role early this year. He was also part of other television series like "Lost" and "Angel", as well as several video games, like the "Saints Row" series.

The R-rated "Hellboy" reboot currently has David Harbour playing as the titular red-skinned demon, while "Resident Evil" franchise lead Milla Jovovich cast as the main antagonist known as the "Blood Queen." Mike Mignola, creator of the comic book series featuring "Hellboy", is working on the script with Andrew Cosby and Christopher Golden.

No official release date has been given, though the "Hellboy" reboot will begin production starting September 2017.