It looks like the makers of “Hellboy” reboot have found a proper replacement for Ed Skrein. Apparently, actor Daniel Dae Kim is in talks with the filmmakers to play Ben Daimio in the proposed film. If the talks work out, the Korean-American actor will play the Japanese-American character of Major Ben Daimio in the remake. He will step into the shoes of Skrein who left the role after the furor created by his ill-thought casting.
Actor replacing Ed Skrein
The news that Daniel Dae Kim, who is known for essaying the character of Chin Ho Kelly in the CBS "Hawaii Five-O series was approached for the role in the reboot was reported by Vulture.
Fans of the hero are thrilled and no doubt they will be awaiting the day they get to see him on screen. Kim’s acting prowess does not need any introduction as he has proven himself in not just the CBS series “Hawaii Five-0” but also in “Lost” and “Angel.” The 49-year-old actor is pretty well-known and his acting ability will ensure that he does justice to his role in the upcoming movie.
Notably, the previous casting of Skrein for the role of Ben Daimio had created an outrage on social media and it was the result of this outrage and Skrein’s sensibility that the Asian character was saved from getting whitewashed. Skrein exited the project out of his own volition and also posted a letter on social media detailing the motives for his decision.
Even the makers acknowledged their mistake in the casting and assured fans that they would look for a proper replacement.
Whitewashing has become a major topic in Hollywood, as it essentially means that people were being cast in ethnic ways that deviated from the original story.
Daniel a flag bearer of inclusion and equality
Interestingly, it is not just Ed Skrein who supported the cause of proper representation of minorities in Hollywood.
His replacement, Daniel Dae Kim has done the same thing too. For those who do not know, Kim, as well as, his co-star Grace Park left the show after the duo’s demands for equal salary as that of their white co-stars was not accepted. Though the network agreed to increase their pay, they were not ready to make it equal to that of Alex O’Loughlin and Scott Caan.
Kim and Park left the show and the Kim wrote a Facebook post after his exit saying that the path to equality is rarely easy. He also made it clear that he was grateful to CBS for the opportunity that they had given to him and emphasized that he was excited about the future. Well, it looks like the future has indeed brought him an exciting deal.
