There's a lot of excitement surrounding
Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), especially as it puts the spotlight on some of the DC Universe's best female characters.
While Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn will obviously be the focal point of this team-up, Black Canary and Huntress will also be taking centre stage. Ewan McGregor, meanwhile, is set to play the lead villain - Batman baddie, Black Mask - and he's now shed some details on what to expect.
"What interested me with Birds of Prey is that it's a feminist film," he explains. "It is very finely written. There is in the script a real look on misogyny, and I think we need that. We need to be more aware of how we behave with the opposite sex. We need to be taught to change."
"Misogynists in movies are often extreme: they rape, they beat women and it is legitimate to represent people like that, because they exist and they are obviously the worst. But in the Birds of Prey dialogues, there is always a hint of everyday misogyny, of those things you say as a man you do not even realize, mansplaining and it's in the script in a very subtle way. I found that brilliant."
Female-led comic book movies are really starting to gain some traction in Hollywood, and Birds of Prey looks set to break some boundaries while taking certain male stereotypes to task!
We got an idea of that in the first trailer for the movie, and if you click the "View List" button below, you can check out a full breakdown alongside some hi-res screenshots from the teaser.
The Woman In The Church
Early on in the trailer, we see a woman praying in church and there's been a lot of speculation about who that might be. Huntress is a name that's been thrown around a fair bit, but if you look closely at the three women Black Mask has hanging from the ceiling in that warehouse, one of them appears to have the same clothes on.
Why he would have rounded them up like that is hard to say, but this establishes that he's an evil SOB (you may have also noticed that the white suit and black gloves are a nod to what his comic book counterpart frequently wears).
Renee Montoya Has Seemingly Been Fired
While there are a few very interesting shots of Renee Montoya in the Gotham City Police Department, it seems like she winds up being fired based on the image of her carrying that box above.
This might explain why she aligns herself with the rest of the Birds of Prey and it's hard not to wonder whether she could become The Question during the course of this adventure. However, it probably won't be a comic accurate version of the character we see if that is indeed the case.
Harley's One Hyena
In the comics and cartoons, Harley Quinn has two hyenas. However, while we don't know whether it's budget or story related, this trailer makes it clear that she only has one of them here.
Considering the fact that
Birds of Prey will more than likely end with Harley being put back behind bars so she can be recruited to Task Force X by Amanda Waller, the hyena will probably have a limited role in the DCEU moving forward, as CGI animals like this are probably quite expensive to add to a movie. It would, however, be cool to see her unleash two of them as part of that team.
A Nod To Black Mask's Classic Look
As Black Mask appears to be having some sort of breakdown here, look closely to his left and you'll notice that he's standing next to a painting which definitely appears to pay homage to the comics with the "black mask" and red eyes. Whether that's an indication he'll adopt a similar appearance by the time the movie ends remains to be seen.
Something we can say with confidence is that he's seriously unhinged, and based on the comments he makes throughout this trailer, he's obsessed with Harley and wants to make her his. Could it be that he knows she's broken up with The Joker and is somehow infatuated with the villain?
Black Masks
In what seems to be a fantasy sequence paying homage to Harley's connection with music in both the cartoon and comics, we see the fan-favourite character paying homage to Marilyn Monroe and singing away with a very interesting looking group of backup dancers.
What makes them so eye-catching? Well, they're all wearing black masks, which has to tie into Ewan McGregor's big bad in some way, shape, or form. It's also entirely possible that this isn't a fantasy at all, because Harley could just be performing in Black Mask's club at his behest (that's clearly what Black Canary does for a living in this movie, anyway).
Harley Quinn Breaks...Good?
The Harley Quinn we met in
Suicide Squad wasn't exactly a nice person, and while she did ultimately choose to do the right thing for the sake of her team, it's fair to say The Joker's beau would have happily shed innocent blood by the time the movie ended.
This version of the character appears to be an anti-hero, though, and to further emphasise the fact that she's not a full-blown baddie these days, we see her using non-lethal means to take down a cop. This is definitely more in line with how she's portrayed in the comic books these days.
The Canary Cry
Black Canary gets to see a fair bit of action in this trailer, but her trademark Canary Cry is nowhere to be seen (well, heard). It could be that the effects aren't finished or that it's something Warner Bros. is holding off on showing until a later date, but there's definitely a hint that it exists in this trailer.
Look closely when she's singing in Black Mask's club and you'll see a Martini glass shaking, which could be a way of teasing just how powerful that voice of hers has the potential to be.
A Very Different Take On Batgirl
It's been clear for a long time now that this version of Cassandra Cain is vastly different to what we've seen in the comics, and this trailer further confirms it. In the source material, she was never allowed to speak as a child in order to make her a much better warrior, but given the way she puts together full sentences here, that concept has clearly been ditched.
Honestly, she seems to be Cassandra in name alone, and will probably be a random kid who has somehow found herself embroiled in whatever Harley Quinn is up to. The odds of her becoming Batgirl also seem slim, but that character's big screen future remains somewhat up in the air anyway.
Victor Zsasz's Scars
We've seen a number of versions of Victor Zsasz on both the big and small screens, but Chris Messina's version definitely appears to be sticking close to the source material.
While he's not exactly covered in scars and we don't get to see his body, he may be running out of room given that they're now on his face and neck. Rather than a solo operator, he's clearly working for Black Mask and has been tasked with tracking down Harley Quinn...without hurting her!
Goodbye, Mr. J
Set photos confirmed that The Joker makes an appearance in
Birds of Prey (played by a stand-in), and this trailer makes it clear that Harley is done with the Clown Prince of Crime.
Her "emancipation" includes cutting off her red and blue hair, using his face as a dart board, and making it clear that she's no longer going to be any man's slave. Warner Bros. is clearly trying to move Harley away from that relationship, something they already toned down with reshoots for
Suicide Squad.