Although we still have a year and some change to go until Birds of Prey storms cinemas, I must say that I’m quite hyped for this team-up flick. Basically, I’m looking forward to it because not only does it feature a primarily female cast, but it also opens up a corner of the DC Universe yet to be explored by live action movies.
By now, everyone knows to expect Margot Robbie’s return as Harley Quinn, but they may not know of how the Cathy Yan-directed epic also includes Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Huntress and Black Canary, respectively, and, on top of that, Ewan McGregor has been cast as the villainous Black Mask. Not too shabby, if you were to ask me.
Of course, the plot is mostly shrouded in secrecy at this point, though screenwriter Christina Hodson has already started offering the media teasers as of late. In fact, Comic Book Movie was the most recent outlet she spoke with, saying the following during the interview:
“Yeah, January. Super excited. Our cast is awesome. Most of it has leaked, so you already know who’s playing who. I’m super excited about the cast, about the characters. And it’s really fun and different and honestly, I think aside from the fact that, obviously, the studio would like me to not say anything, I think it’s fun not to say anything yet because that means there’s going to be whole bunch of fun little surprises for fans and for new people to the DC universe to discover.”
I’m sure a few of those surprises will hit the web between now and opening weekend, but it’s probably for the best that most are saved for our viewing experience. Still, recently learning of how Chris Messina was enlisted to play the knife-happy Victor Zsasz forces me to wonder which other criminals (or heroes, even) native to Gotham City will put in cameos.
Right now, I imagine you’re about to play the Batman card, but you shouldn’t really expect him to show up in any capacity. Though he’s my favorite character, I believe his involvement is simply unnecessary as the other folks making up the tale are long overdue for their time in the spotlight.
Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) arrives in theaters on February 7th, 2020.