After initially being just of one the many projects in development for the DC Extended Universe, Birds of Prey has now graduated to being a sure thing. Back in April, g was hired to direct the picture, and last week it was announced that Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Jurnee Smollett-Bell have been cast to play Huntress and Black Canary, respectively, joining Margot Robbie reprising Harley Quinn. But this was just the beginning of the Birds of Prey casting news, and word's just come in that Academy Award-nominated actress Rosie Perez has been cast to play Detective Renee Montoya.
This latest casting update comes from The Wrap, which reports that Rosie Perez is the fourth actor to be added to Birds of Prey. Like her comic book counterpart, she will be a detective with the Gotham City Police Department, and she'll be teaming up with the other heroines to battle the forces of evil. Perez is arguably best known for her performance as Carla Rodrigo in 1992's Fearless, which netted her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and her other notable credits include Do The Right Thing, White Men Can't Jump, The 24 Hour Woman and being a co-host on The View.
Renee Montoya is one of the few comic book characters who debuted in a different medium before being brought to the printed page, as she was created for Batman: The Animated Series and returned for The New Batman Adventures. In the comics, Renee is one of the DC universe's most prominent gay characters, and while she is also a GCPD detective, in the immediate years preceding the New 52 reboot, she became the second Question, inheriting the identity from Vic Sage. Whether or not Rosie Perez's version of Renee becomes the Question in Birds of Prey or sticking strictly to police work remains to be seen. Renee has also shown up in Gotham, Batman: Bad Blood and Batman: The Telltale Series.
No specific plot details for Birds of Prey have been revealed yet, but reportedly the leading heroines will be clashing with Roman Sionis, a.k.a. Black Mask, one of the most powerful crime bosses in Gotham City. Even if she doesn't get her superhero on during the movie, Renee Montoya is one of Gotham's best detectives and knows how to handle herself in a fight, so she'll be a great ally to the more colorfully-dressed protagonists. With Black Canary, Huntress and Renee Montoya covered, that leaves Cassandra Cain as the final leading lady left to be cast in Birds of Prey. In this movie, however, she will reportedly be a young girl rather than a teenager/young adult as she's usually depicted.
Birds of Prey will be released in theaters on February 7, 2020, so keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates on its progress. In the meantime, check out our DC movies guide to learn what else this superhero franchise has in the works.
