Warner Bros. has found their Huntress and Black Canary for the studio's Harley Quinn spinoff, BIRDS OF PREY, in Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Jurnee Smollett-Bell, respectively. Word has it that the WB had been pining over who to cast as two of DC's most iconic femme fatales, who will go on to join Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn for the highly-anticipated comic book-inspired adventure. Fans of the funny book genre will undoubtedly know Winstead for her turn as Romona Flowers in director Edgar Wright's SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD, while Smollett-Bell is known for starring in a multitude of television series, such as TRUE BLOOD, UNDERGROUND, SOFIA THE FIRST, and soon, a supernatural drama titled LOVECRAFT COUNTRY.
According to a report by Deadline, Winstead won out against Sofia Boutella, Cristin Milioti, and Margaret Qualley for the role of Huntress, who in the comics has been represented in a myriad of forms, including a turn as the daughter of Batman, who vanished after the death of her mother, Selina Kyle aka Catwoman. As for Smollett-Bell, she secured the part after the WB considered Gugu Mbatha-Raw for the part of the siren's scream queen, Black Canary.
For the moment, the part of Rene Montoya has yet to be cast, with sources saying that the studio is looking closely at both Justina Machado (TORQUE, SIX FEET UNDER) and Roberta Colindrez (GOTHAM, GIRLS) for the role of one of the GCPD's best and brightest officers.
Unfortunately, Warner Bros. has not announced any plans to include Barbara Gordon aka Batgirl aka Oracle as a part of the BIRDS OF PREY lineup. However, we're still in the early stages of the film's development, so the chance for a Babs cameo or Easter egg mention is still in the cards.
Directed by Cathy Yan from a script written by Cristina Hodson, BIRDS OF PREY is scheduled to bat-grapple into theaters beginning on February 7, 2020.