Hellboy: Ed Skrein Leaves Film Over Whitewashing Concerns

Just a week after joining the upcoming Hellboy reboot, actor Ed Skrein has exited the movie over the whitewashing controversy that followed his casting.

RELATED: Funko Summons Hellboy POP! Figures for Fall Release

Skrein was cast as Benjamin Daimio, a character of mixed Asian heritage. Subsequently, comic book fans were quick to call this casting out as yet another instance of whitewashing in Hollywood. The actor revealed his decision to leave via an image posted by his official Twitter account.

“I accepted the role unaware that the character in the original comics was of mixed Asian heritage,” Skrein explained in his statement. “There has been intense conversation and understandable upset since that announcement, and I must do what I feel is right.”

“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,” the actor continued. “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”. You can read the full statement below.

Whitewashing has been an issue in Hollywood for a long time but has become even more relevant in recent years after movies like Ghost in the Shell and Marvel’s Doctor Strange cast white actors in roles that were Asian in source material.

pic.twitter.com/8WoSsHXDFO

— Ed Skrein (@edskrein) August 28, 2017

RELATED: Hellboy: Deadpool Actor Ed Skrein Joins Cast as Benjamin Daimio

Debuting in theaters in 2018, Hellboy will be directed by Neil Marshall and star David Harbour as Hellboy, Ian McShane as Trevor Bruttenholm, Milla Jovovich as the Blood Queen and Sasha Lane as Alice Monaghan.

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Adam Fitch

Funko Summons Hellboy POP! Figures for Fall Release

Hellboy is finally getting the Funko POP! treatment, and he’s not alone. The newly revealed Funko figure arrives beside familiar faces from the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, as well as a few of their greatest foes.

In an official announcement, Funko has given fans their first glimpse at the Great Beast and his supporting cast. The new figures include Hellboy, vigilante Lobster Johnson, pyrokinetic Liz Sherman, fish-man Abe Sapien, evil sorcerer Grigori Rasputin and the Queen of Blood, Nimue. The announcement also revealed a rare version of Hellboy, horns included, that will grace one in every six purchases.

RELATED: Top Of The Pop!s: 16 Celebrities You Never Knew Had A Funko Pop!

The figures will be available for purchase this fall, giving fans plenty of time to collect the range before the upcoming Hellboy reboot hits theaters next year. The announcement has fallen at the perfect time since casting is well underway for the flick, with much of the main cast having been announced in recent weeks.

RELATED: Hellboy: Deadpool Actor Ed Skrein Joins Cast as Benjamin Daimio

Debuting in theaters in 2018, Hellboy will be directed by Neil Marshall and star David Harbour as Hellboy, Ian McShane as Trevor Bruttenholm, Milla Jovovich as the Blood Queen and Sasha Lane as Alice Monaghan. The R-rated film does not yet have a release date.

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Adam Fitch

Wonder Woman Crosses $800 Million Worldwide

Merely weeks after smashing the $400 million milestone at the domestic box office, the DCEU titan Wonder Woman has achieved yet another amazing feat, crossing $800 million at the worldwide box office.

With Wonder Woman reaching this huge box office total, the movie has surpassed the original Spider-Man movie’s total gross, and is only $4 million away from passing 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. If Wonder Woman passes Civil War, then it only needs another million to pass Iron Man 3. This would put Wonder Woman in the prestigious top five, alongside The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Avengers, and Avengers: Age of Ultron.

RELATED: Wonder Woman’s Walmart Blu-ray Includes a Wearable Tiara

The fourth instalment in Warner Bros. and DC Films’ Extended Universe, Wonder Woman is looking to add more trophies to its cabinet. The studio is planning on submitting the film for two Academy Awards at the Oscars — those being Best Picture and Best Director (for Patty Jenkins, who’s in final talks to helm the sequel). Wonder Woman recently cleaned up at the Teen Choice Awards too, winning in the following categories: Action Movie, Action Movie Actress (Gal Gadot) and Action Movie Actor (Chris Pine).

Gadot’s Wonder Woman is next set to appear in Justice League, which debuts this November. After her box office triumph and resounding success with both fans and critics, it’s been noticeable that Warner Bros. has shifted her to become the main element in its universe of DC films. The marketing for the team-up movie originally focused on Batman uniting the league, though the latest synopsis (provided alongside Mattel’s Justice League Barbie range) suggests Diana Prince has a bigger role to play.

“Once again, Wonder Woman must demonstrate her ability as a fierce warrior,” the new synopsis reads. “Facing a great enemy, she and Batman join forces to recruit a group of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. Having formed an unprecedented League of heroes, they set out to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.”

RELATED: Wonder Woman Rides in With More Adorable Funko Toys

Available Aug. 29 on Digital HD and Sept. 19 on Blu-ray and DVD, Wonder Woman stars Gadot as Diana, Chris Pine as Steve Trevor, Robin Wright as General Antiope, Danny Huston as General Erich Ludendorff, David Thewlis as Ares, Connie Nielsen as Queen Hippolyta, Elena Anaya as Doctor Poison, and Lucy Davis as Etta Candy.

(via Box Office Mojo)

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Adam Fitch

Wonder Woman’s Walmart Blu-ray Includes a Wearable Tiara

Director Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman is coming to home video, and Walmart’s exclusive Blu-ray will come packed with a movie-accurate tiara for fans.

RELATED: Wonder Woman, Guardians & Riverdale Top Teen Choice Awards

Exclusive to Walmart, the Blu-ray version of the DC Comics-based smash hit will come complete with a wearable tiara and a bonus scene that wasn’t included in the theatrical version of the movie. This tiara looks incredibly accurate when compared to the tiara worn by Diana Prince in the flick; check it out, alongside the Blu-ray set, below.

Wonder Woman is perhaps the hottest property in the DC Extended Universe so far, grossing over $400 million domestically and recently crossing $800 million worldwide. The Justice League member won big at the Teen Choice Awards and Warner Bros. is planning an awards campaign with hopes of winning an Oscar.

The Blu-ray version of Wonder Woman will include the special feature “Epilogue: Etta’s Mission,” in which Lucy Davis’ fan-favorite Etta Candy “gets the boys back together for a secret mission that could impact humanity’s future.”

RELATED: Wonder Woman Rides in With More Adorable Funko Toys

Available Aug. 29 on Digital HD and Sept. 19 on Blu-ray and DVD, Wonder Woman stars Gadot as Diana, Chris Pine as Steve Trevor, Robin Wright as General Antiope, Danny Huston as General Erich Ludendorff, David Thewlis as Ares, Connie Nielsen as Queen Hippolyta, Elena Anaya as Doctor Poison, and Lucy Davis as Etta Candy.

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Adam Fitch