The DC Extended Universe has had an interesting tenure in theaters, starting with Zack Snyder's Man of Steel. The shared universe had a ton of hype around its inception, with fans eager to see their favorite characters translated into live-action. And while movies like Justice League failed to impress critics or make money at the box office, Warner Bros. seems to have hit its stride recently. Shazam! and Aquaman were both successes, and it looks like Cathy Yan's upcoming Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is going to bring something wholly unique to the genre. At least, according to actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead.
10 Cloverfield Lane actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead is playing Helena Bertinelli / Huntress in Birds of Prey, a Gotham City vigilante and daughter of gangster Franco Bertinelli. The female-centric DC blockbuster is also a pseudo spinoff for Harley Quinn, with the first poster revealing her bizarre perspective of the world. It's likely this narrative opportunity that Winstead is referencing when speaking about the movie's unique perspective, saying:
You can expect something really fun and a bit wild and totally unique. Every day we were there, we were doing something that just felt really weird and funny and unlike anything else I've seen before in this genre. It was incredibly exciting to get to do that. We really got to work. We just played, and we had fun.
Well, that's certainly intriguing. Because while some critics fear that superhero fatigue will make the market oversaturated and predictable, it seems like Cathy Yan is bringing something new to theaters with Birds of Prey. Is it February yet?
Mary Elizabeth Winstead's comments to Total Film are sure to excite DC fans out there, who are eager to return to the shared universe and see it continue to expand. While Todd Phillips' Joker will hit theaters shortly, the 1981-set origin story is disconnected from the DCEU. As such, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is the next opportunity to give back into the franchise proper.
Related: The Leaked Birds Of Prey Teaser Will Apparently Only Be In Theaters
Birds of Prey will be the DCEU's first big ensemble film since Justice League, which has the potential to make moviegoers nervous. Aquaman, Shazam!, and Joker all focused on one major character, allowing the subject to become truly fleshed. Crossovers seem to be largely abandoned by the studio, but Birds of Prey will change that by having Harley Quinn interact with plenty of new (but iconic) characters, including Huntress, Black Canary, Black Mask, Victor Zsasz, and Renee Montoya.
It should be fascinating to see what exactly Mary Elizabeth Winstead is teasing about Birds of Prey's contents. Given how popular the superhero genre is, it seems like audiences have seen just about everything. But Harley Quinn's fracture mental state might be the key to bringing something new to the genre. If audiences are able to get into her twisted mind, it could allow for concepts like an unreliable narrator or trippy visuals to be incorporated into the upcoming DC blockbuster.
All will be revealed when Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) arrives in theaters February 7th, 2020. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
