The Brave and the Bold…
After plenty of rumours and reported screen tests, DC’s Birds of Prey has made two key castings, with Mary Elizabeth Winstead (10 Cloverfield Lane; Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) and Jurnee Smollett-Bell (Friday Night Lights; True Blood) as Huntress and Black Canary respectively. Both will feature alongside Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, one of the highlights of 2016’s Suicide Squad.
Black Canary, otherwise known as Dinah Lance, is a crime fighter and one of the best fighters in the DC comics universe. Trained by Wildcat and commonly teaming up with the Green Arrow and Batgirl, Black Canary is a major character within DC Comics. She has been a member of multiple teams, most recently, the Justice League of America and the aforementioned Birds of Prey. Huntress, AKA Helena Bertinelli, is a vigilante operating in Gotham City. Huntress has most recently appeared alongside Dick Grayson (Robin, Nightwing), in the comic series ‘Grayson’, before appearing in Rebirth’s Batgirl and the Birds of Prey series. Both characters have appeared in live action before, with Canary appearing in Smallville and as a major character in ‘Arrow’, and Huntress also making several appearances in early seasons of ‘Arrow’. Both characters, alongside founding member Batgirl/Oracle, were also featured in the Birds of Prey TV show which aired in 2002, only lasting one season.
It has been confirmed that the team will face a “Gotham crime lord”, although they have yet to be unveiled. Theories behind who the villain will be, range from major Batman villain ‘Penguin’, to possibly a relative of Helena Bertinelli (The Huntress).
The original incarnation of the book focused on a partnership between the characters of Batgirl and Black Canary, with the Huntress joining later. The character of Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) has not been cast just yet, however, it has been rumoured that the character will take on the role of Oracle rather than Batgirl. Gordon became Oracle after being crippled by the Joker, most famously in ‘The Killing Joke’ novel. There has been no official confirmation that the character will appear, though it would be an odd choice not to include the most important character in the Birds of Prey series.
Not much else is known just yet bout the movie, so we will keep you updated for any new details that arise. Cathy Yan is directing the movie, which is set to be released on Feb. 7, 2020.
December 21st sees the release of the next instalment of the DCEU, ‘Aquaman‘, starring Jason Momoa. ‘Shazam!‘, starring Zachary Levi, follows in April 2019.
By Jimmy Ioannou
Images courtesy of Vincent Sandoval/Getty Images; Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival.
Reverbium 
6 thoughts