Principal photography on Warner Bros.’ all-girl gang team-up movie “Birds Of Prey” is expected to start in January and thus casting is starting to ramp up. While no actresses have been confirmed yet to appear yet alongside Margot Robbie as the “Suicide Squad’ star Harley Quinn, various trades tonight, THR, The Wrap and Deadline, are all reporting that many names are coming into the mix. The biggest names in the pack include Mary Elizabeth Winstead (“Scott Pilgrim. Vs. The World,” “Fargo” season 3), Gugu Mbatha-Raw (“Beyond The Lights,” “Black Mirror”), Jurnee Smollett-Bell (WGN’s “Underground”) and singer/“Hidden Figures” star Janelle Monae.
Among the other contenders are Sofia Boutella (“The Mummy”), Cristin Milioti (“Wolf of Wall Street,” “How I Met Your Mother”), Margaret Qualley (HBO’s “The Leftovers” and Sundance hit “Novitiate”), Justina Machado (Netflix’s “One Day at a Time”) and Roberta Colindrez (Amazon’s short-lived”I Love Dick“).
READ MORE: Margot Robbie Says Harley Quinn Spin-Off Will Be An “R-Rated Girl Gang” Film
Joining Harley Quinn to take on take on Batman villain Black Mask is DC superheroines Black Canary, Huntress, Renee Montoya, and Cassandra Cain. Up for the role of Huntress are Winstead, Boutella, Milioti, and Qualley. For the part of Rene Montoya, a lesbian detective on the Gotham City police force, is Machado and Colindrez.
In consideration for Black Canary, known for her piercing sonic scream, are “Belle” star Mbatha-Raw, Monae and Smollett-Bell. Cassandra Cain, who at various times in the comics played Batgirl, is expected to be remodeled as a 12-year-old girl the studio is hoping will be played by a young Asian actress.
Despite the inclusion of the Batman villain, the caped crusader is not expected to appear in the film, probably because Ben Affleck is vacating the role and WB will likely leave the character offscreen for a few years.
Directing “Birds Of Prey,” is Cathy Yan, best known for writing and directing her feature debut “Dead Pigs,” which won Sundance’s World Cinema Dramatic Award For Ensemble Acting in January. Christina Hodson, who is also writing “Batgirl” for Warners’ penned the spin-off.
Insiders warn the various trades that no one has bagged a role yet, but since fight training needs to begin soon, final casting decisions should be made in the next two weeks. “Birds Of Prey” should shoot early 2019 for a TBD 2020 release.
Other DC Film superhero movies in the works include “Aquaman” (December), “Shazam!” (March 2019), “Wonder Woman 1984”(summer 2019) and “The Joker” (fall 2019). [THR, The Wrap, Deadline]
