A Synopsis Surfaces For DC's BIRDS OF PREY and Black Mask Confirmed as The Main Villain
A rumored synopsis has surfaced for DC's upcoming Bird of Prey film and it offers us a little insight into the team's mission and gives us an update on the state of Joker and Harley Quinn's relationship. The following comes from Discussing Film:
After splitting up with The Joker, Harley Quinn and three other female superheroes – Black Canary, Huntress and Renee Montoya – come together to save the life of a little girl (Cassandra Cain) from an evil crime lord."
If this is true, I like the direction that it's headed. It's interesting that they may be making Cassandra Cain a little girl in the film. Makes me wonder if she will be the version of Batgirl that the studio ends up focusing on with the upcoming solo film. For those of you who want a little refresher on who these characters are, here's a breakdown:
Black Canary, aka Dinah Laurel, is a fantastic hand-to-hand combatant who comes from a family of crime fighters. Her father, Larry Lance, was a police officer, while her mother (also named Dinah) was the original Black Canary.
Helena Bertinelli, aka Huntress, is a vigilante operating out of Gotham City.
Cassandra Cain is one of the world’s greatest martial artists, and also a vigilante who becomes Batgirl.
Renee Montoya is a detective working for the Gotham City Police Department. Montoya is openly lesbian, and during The New 52 comics she takes on a costumed identity, becoming the Question.
It was previously reported that the director and producers were looking to bring together a diverse cast for this movie, so it will be interesting to see who they end up casting in these roles. It was also revealed by The Wrap that the villains of the film would be Black Mask.
Black Mask was created by Doug Moench and Tom Mandrake, and he made his first appearance in 1985’s Batman issue #386. The Black Mask is a brutally sadistic kingpin in Gotham City’s criminal underworld who has a fixation with masks.
In DC Comics Black Mask is the criminal alias of Roman Sionis, who murdered his wealthy, status-obsessed parents to take control of the family corporation, then lost everything when he proved to be a terrible businessman. Seeking revenge on the people he blamed for his own failures — particularly Bruce Wayne and Wayne Enterprises — he returns, hidden behind an ebony black mask, at the head of a gang called the False Face Society.
The movie is being developed by Robbie, director Cathy Yan and writer Christina Hodson (Bumblebee). It's being developed as an R-rated film that Robbie previously described as a "girl gang film". She explained;
"I pitched the idea of an R-rated girl gang film including Harley, because I was like, ‘Harley needs friends.’ Harley loves interacting with people, so don’t ever make her do a standalone film. She’s got to be with other people, it should be a girl gang. I wasn’t seeing enough girl gangs on screen, especially in the action space. So that was always a big part of it."
What are your thoughts on the direction that Birds of Prey may be going? What do you think about Black Mask being the main villain?