Ahoy all ye nerds! From news regarding the upcoming Hellboy film, to speculation surrounding Game of Thrones season eight, we’ve rounded up some of the biggest nerdy developments. Read on for more details about the latest geek headlines!

Ed Skrein steps down from “Hellboy” role, and we’re here for it

Whitewashing has been a controversial topic in Hollywood as of late, with actresses like Scarlett Johansson and Tilda Swinton falling under fire for their recent work in Ghost in the Shell and Doctor Strange. Actor Ed Skrein, who is well-known for his roles as Francis in Deadpool and Daario Naharis from Game of Thrones, was slated to follow suit. However, according to a recent social media post and Entertainment Weekly, Skrein announced that he will be withdrawing from the project completely. Surprisingly enough, his reasoning is completely admirable and should be commended. “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,” Skrein wrote. “It is our responsibility to make moral decisions in difficult times and to give voice to inclusivity.” Let's hope Hollywood execs are taking notes!

Other celebs have praised Skrein for his choice, including Chloe Bennet from her role on Marvel’s Agents of Shield. According to Variety, Bennet changed her last name as a direct result of experiencing racism in Hollywood. “Changing my last name doesn’t change the fact that my BLOOD is half Chinese, that I lived in China, speak Mandarin or that I was culturally raised both American and Chinese,” she wrote in a recent Instagram post. “It means I had to pay my rent, and Hollywood is racist and wouldn’t cast me with a last name that made them uncomfortable.” After many auditions, Bennett noted that she finally received a call-back after changing her last name.

In light of the recent announcement from Ed Skrein, Bennett wrote, “DAMN, that's a man. Thank you @edskrein for standing up against hollywoods continuous insensitivity and flippant behavior towards the Asian American community. There is no way this decision came lightly on your part, so thank you for your bravery and genuinely impactful step forward. I hope this inspires other actors/film makers to do the same.

Lucasfilm unveils a new Star Wars droid

Star Wars fans have been abuzz with excitement surrounding the upcoming Force Friday II event, which officially launches tomorrow. In anticipation of the event, Lucasfilm dropped some serious teasers in the form of upcoming toy releases. In Australia, fans celebrated the kick off event for Force Friday II last night, including the unveiling of a brand new character from Star Wars: The Last Jedi—a new droid named BB-9E. No, that's not a typo. Unlike the bubbly BB-8, it looks like Lucasfilm is determined to keep this droid set in a dark direction. Described as a “rolling menace”, it looks like BB-9e will be set to fight with the First Order against the Resistance. Star Wars fans can pick up the toy, along with BB-8 and R2-D2, starting tomorrow at select retailers. Be sure to visit our website and check out all of the new designs for Episode 8: The Last Jedi!

We’re completely in Game of Thrones withdrawal—so when’s season eight?

The hotly anticipated season seven finale for Game of Thrones sent fans into a frenzy this past week, leaving everyone’s minds swirling with questions and clamoring for more. Sadly enough, it looks like we’ll have to play the waiting game for some time. According to Screen Rant and The Hollywood Reporter, it looks like there’s plenty of steps to be taken before things will finally be completed. While there’s no official release date set, most outlets are reporting that we’ll have to wait until the later half of 2018 or summer 2019 until season eight. As of right now, Game of Thrones writers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have confirmed that season eight will have a total of six episodes. With HBO falling victim to hackers in the past few months, we’ll have to wait and see how things develop over time. Can fans really wait another two years before finding out more about the Great War? We’ll have to wait and see!

Actor Brendon Thwaites cast as Nightwing in Titans

Aussie actor Brenton Thwaites is currently lined up to play Dick Grayson for the upcoming live-action Titans series. Thwaites, who recently starred alongside Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom in Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, is a rising star and certainly one to watch. His most recent work includes film credits with The Giver, Maleficent and Bek from Gods of Egypt. The team over at Nerdist just announced that Thwaites will be joining the cast with Anna Diop as Starfire and Teagan Croft as Raven.

Written by Jade Nicolette

Twitter: @nicolette_style