The contenders for the roles of Huntress and Black Canary in Cathy Yan's Birds of Prey had already been revealed. Now, we have the names of the winners.
Last week, a report surfaced on web disclosing the names of the actresses who were in the running to join Margot Robbie in Birds of Prey. According to that report, Gugu Mbatha-Raw (A Wrinkle in Time) and Jurnee Smollett-Bell (Underground) had tested for the role of Dinah Lance, aka the Black Canary. And it was Margaret Qualley (The Leftovers), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (10 Cloverfield Lane) and Christin Milioti (Black Mirror) who had read for Helena Bertinelli, aka the Huntress.
Today, multiple major Hollywood trades are reporting that Smollett-Bell and Elizabeth Winstead are the ones who have landed the roles. These two along with Robbie's Harley Quinn and a couple of other female characters will team up and battle a crime lord in a Gotham City that, according to Deadline, isn't protected by Batman. So, we shouldn't expect the Caped Crusader to show up in the February 7, 2020 release.
While the trades cannot confirm the identity of Birds of Prey's big baddie, TheWrap's Umberto Gonzalez seems to be certain that the mysterious crime lord is none other than Black Mask. He also suggests that Warner Bros. is looking at Sam Rockwell (Iron Man 2) as the archetype for the part.
According to Variety's Justin Kroll, Rockwell has already passed on the villainous role and the ones currently being considered are Sharlto Copley (District 9) and Ewan McGregor (Fargo). But apparently, the studio has recently started meeting actors for the role - so, some other names may pop up in the coming days. Check out Gonzalez and Kroll's tweets below!
That crime lord’s name is BLACK MASK
"” Umberto Gonzalez (@elmayimbe) September 26, 2018
Although unavailable, Sam Rockwell is the archetype for BLACK MASK and they’re looking for someone with his lovable rogue qualities.
"” Umberto Gonzalez (@elmayimbe) September 26, 2018
He passed
"” Justin Kroll (@krolljvar) September 26, 2018
Still have Renee Montoya and Cassandra Cain’s roles to cast as well as the crime lord up against the team. Hearing names like Sharlto and Ewan McGreggor are actors they like for the role but have only started meeting actors for that part https://t.co/OaVfpTfkyM
"” Justin Kroll (@krolljvar) September 26, 2018
As for the titular team, Renee Montoya and Cassandra Cain are the members that don't have a cast attached yet. According to previous reports, Justina Machado (One Day at a Time) and Roberta Colindrez (Vida) are the ones in contention for the role of Renee Montoya. The version of Cassandra Cain that we will see in Birds of Prey is a 12-year-old girl. The studio is apparently looking for an Asian actress to fill the role.
