First images of David Harbour as Hellboy in Neil Marshall’s reboot & further casting details.
The reboot of Hellboy is certainly getting it’s fare share of pre-production press and today’s news is somewhat promising. The film which will be helmed by British director Neil Marshall was initially greeted by a less than enthusiastic response from hardcore fans of the previous films, when it was announced that Ron Perlman would not be returning as the titular character and that Guillermo del Toro would not be returning to direct.
Lionsgate Films may have passified some of the doubters today with their official release of new lead actor David Harbour in full make up. Our own initial reaction at Film ’89 Towers was one of genuinely pleasant surprise as the Stranger Things actor does look pretty awesome as Hellboy. As you can see, there is a modified look for his famous hand and his hair looks a little longer than we’ve seen before. Overall he somehow manages to look a little more intimidating than Perlman’s version. Maybe it’s just that sneer he’s pulling and we shall have to wait and see if he comes across that way in the final film.
One thing is for sure, we know that Ed Skrein (Deadpool) certainly won’t be playing opposite him. Skrein was offered the part of Ben Daimio, a part that usually is portrayed as a man with an Asian background in many of the comics and this caused another internet storm with many holding up the casting as another example of Hollywood “white-washing”. These accusations had previously been levelled at the casting of Scarlet Johansson in the live action Ghost in the Shell and Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One in Marvel Studio’s Doctor Strange. Both roles originally being Asian characters in their respective source material.
Skrein showed real class and sensitivity when he walked away from the role and released the following statement;
“Last week it was announced that I would be playing Major Ben Daimio the upcoming Hellboy reboot. I accepted the role unaware that the character in the original comics was of mixed Asian heritage. There has been intense conversation and understandable upset since that announcement, and 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. I feel it is important to honour and respect that. Therefore I have decided to step down so the role can be cast appropriately. Representation of ethnic diversity is important, especially to me as I have a mixed heritage family. It is our responsibility to make moral decisions in difficult times and to give voice to inclusivity. It is my hope that one day these discussions will become less necessary and that we can help make equal representation in the arts a reality. I am sad to leave Hellboy but if this decision brings us closer to that day, it is worth it. I hope it makes a difference.”
The good news that follows is the casting of Asian actor Daniel Dae Kim, who will now play the Japanese-American Daimio in the new movie. The actor has spoken of his joy at landing the role and gave his respect to Skrein’s decision;
“I applaud the producers and, in particular, Ed Skrein for championing the notion that Asian characters should be played by Asian or Asian-American actors. He could not have addressed the issue more elegantly and I remain indebted to him for his strength of character.”
The actor who appeared in Lost and most recently Hawaii Five-0 in the remake of the classic TV cop show went on to say,
“I’m excited to confirm that I’ve officially joined the cast of ‘Hellboy.’ We start shooting today and I’ll be playing Ben Daimio, alongside our very talented cast, headed by David Harbour and director Neil Marshall. Thank you for all the supportive tweets and comments, especially in light of the recent events surrounding its original casting.”
Filming of the new version of Hellboy is due to commence shortly and will also star Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil) who is set to play the villainous Blood Queen, and Ian McShane (John Wick) is on board as Professor Bloom in the role originally played by the late John Hurt in the two previous movies directed by Guillermo del Toro.
Lionsgate have announced the film will be released January 11th 2019 in the US.
Sources
Movie Web
Cosmic Booknews