As the Neil Marshall-helmed "Hellboy" reboot comes together, the team gets another welcome addition. After the inclusion of David Harbour and Milla Jovovich, Ed Skrein is confirmed to join the "Hellboy" cast as part of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Skrein will play the role of the bureau's Major Ben Daimio, a former US marine. As depicted in the "Hellboy" comic books by Mike Mignola, Daimio transforms into a jaguar when he experiences anger or pain, an ability he got as a result of a failed rescue mission in a Bolivian jungle. After being attacked by a native jaguar cult and left for dead, he had visions of aspirit that took a jaguar shape that told him his new life just began.
Skrein was recently seen in Fox's smash hit "Deadpool," where he played the villain Ajax, the opposite Ryan Reynolds' titular Merc with a Mouth. Ironically, in the 2015 film, the character had very high tolerance to pain, to the point that Ajax almost does not feel anything. IGN also adds that Skrein appeared in HBO's "Game of Thrones" as Daario Naharis, before Michael Huisman took over the role.
Harbour leads the B.P.R.D. team as the titular red-skinned demon "Hellboy," as they face the movie's big baddie, Milla Jovovich's "Blood Queen." Ian McShane is also onboard as the adoptive father of "Hellboy," Professor Broom. Aside from "Hellboy" and Daimio, B.P.R.D. members Abe Sapien and Alice Monaghan will also appear on the movie.
Mignola, who created the "Hellboy" comic series, is working on the script with scribes Andrew Cosby and Christopher Golden, promising the reboot will have a darker tone and an R rating. Additionally, the "Hellboy" reboot, which originally had a working title "Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen," will not be an origin story for the titular demon, which usually is the case for movie reboots.