DC's live-action universe has had a fascinating tenure in theaters, full of both peaks and valleys. While Warner Bros. struggled to get the DCEU off the ground with Justice League and Suicide Squad, it's finally hit its stride over the past few years. Aquaman and Shazam! helped to expand the universe, while Todd Phillips' Joker was set outside of the DCEU. The serialized story will continue with Cathy Yan's Birds of Prey, which will introduce a slew of femme fatales to join Harley Quinn. This includes Jurnee Smollett-Bell's Dinah Lance/Black Canary. And now we know more about wha to expect from the heroine.
Black Canary has had a long history on both the page and TV, but she'll be getting her big screen debut in Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). Dinah Lance was only shown briefly in the film's first trailer, which largely focused on Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn. But now Jurnee Smollett-Bell has opened up about what to expect from the character, and her signature Canary Cry. She said:
She’s the Dinah Lance that we know and love from the comics, you know? This ferocious street fighter. When we meet Dinah in the film, though, she’s a singer in Roman’s Black Mask club, and she’s kind of disenfranchised and disconnected from the world. She doesn’t really want to have anything to do with crime fighting or being a good-doer, which is so against her nature because we know Dinah to be all heart. So it’s really about her accepting her gift and accepting her power and that’s what was so fascinating for me is to explore this woman who has such strength, but exploring someone who doesn’t want to own her power.
Well, this is certainly exciting. It looks like we'll be able to watch Black Canary come into her own in Birds of Prey, eventually becoming the badass warrior we know from the comics. What's more, her signature metahuman ability has been confirmed for Cathy Yan's upcoming blockbuster.
Jurnee Smollett-Bell's comments to DC Daily are sure to excite hardcore comic book fans, who are wondering how Black Canary will be adapted into live-action for Birds of Prey. The character is shown to be a singer in the brief clips, which is in stark juxtaposition to the character's typical origin story. But its a choice that makes sense, and gives a special focus on Dinah's voice, and her superpower.
Related: Birds Of Prey’s Mary Elizabeth Winstead Teases The Director’s Unique Vision
The True Blood alum also teased Black Canary as a street fight. Dinah Lance is synonymous for her abilities in hand to hand combat, even training other members of the Justice League throughout the years. It looks like we'll see this side of the character in Birds of Prey, teaming up with Gotham City's most deadly women in the process. The trailer also showed her with Harley Quinn's signature bat, which the villain used throughout Suicide Squad.
While Black Canary had limited screen time in the first Birds of Prey trailer, the footage seemed to hint at a strong bond between she and Harley Quinn. The two's conversation started off the footage, and Canary was comfortable enough with the villainess to crack a joke later on in the trailer. Margot Robbie wanted the movie to give Harley friends, and smart money says Black Canary is one of the first ones.
All will be revealed when Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) hits theaters on February 7th, 2020. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
