Although DC and Warner Bros have yet to officially announce what will follow Wonder Woman 1984 in the DC Extended Universe, so far all signs point to Birds of Prey being the next installment in the superhero franchise. The movie will mark the return of Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn (with the actress also producing) following her appearance in Suicide Squad, and Cathy Yan was hired to direct back in April, working off a script written by Christina Hodson. So far Birds of Prey's heroic lineup reportedly consists of Black Canary, Huntress and GCPD detective Renee Montoya, and now we know who's been looked at recently to fill these roles.
Starting off, let's look at the ladies in consideration for Black Canary. Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Jurnee Smollett-Bell are both high up on the list to play the sonic-screaming crimefighter, and while Janelle Monae is also said to be in the running, it's unclear if she's tested for the role. Although Black Canary is white in the comics, THR states that Warner Bros is looking for "diverse talent" for Birds of Prey's version of the character. Mbatha-Raw's notable credits include Beauty and the Beast, The Cloverfield Paradox and A Wrinkle in Time, Smollett-Bell has been a series regular on TV shows like Friday Night Lights, True Blood and Underground, and Janelle Moane, in addition to being a Grammy-nominated singer, has appeared in movies like Moonlight and Hidden Figures.
Next we have Black Canary's frequent partner, Huntress. Margaret Qualley, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Cristin Milloti have all either tested or read for the role, though there's no indication if any of them have an edge over the rest. Margaret Qualley is best known for her role on HBO's The Leftovers, Winstead's resume includes Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, 10 Cloverfield Lane and Fargo (the TV series), and Cristin Milloti has appeared in The Wolf of Wall Street, How I Met Your Mother and Black Mirror, among other things.
Finally for Renee Montoya, Justina Machado from Netflix's One Day at a Time and Roberta Colindrez from Amazon's I Love Dick have both tested for the character. Unlike Black Canary and Huntress, it doesn't sound like Renee will be getting her superhero on during Birds of Prey. However, given that she became the second Question in the comics, perhaps there is a scenario where she turns to vigilantism in the DCEU.
Other actresses are supposedly in consideration for Black Canary, Huntress and Renee Montoya, but evidently Warner Bros is looking to decide on who will lead Birds of Prey within the next two weeks, with production scheduled to begin early next year. We here at CinemaBlend will keep you updated on what's happening with Birds of Prey as more details come in. For now, check out our DC movies guide to lear what else the DCEU has in development.
