BIRDS OF PREY Is Set To Commence Production Next Week - Get Better Acquainted With The Main Cast
It looks like Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is currently preparing to begin shooting, so if you want to learn a little more about the cast members, right this way...
A video from the Warner Bros. Burbank lot has been shared online, which reveals that the Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) crew are setting up to begin filming the DC Comics adaptation.
Work will most likely continue over the weekend, with production officially commencing sometime next week.
With shooting about to kick-off, we thought we'd take a loser look at the main players. Director Cathy Yan has assembled a diverse cast of up-and-comers and established stars to bring these characters to life, and while many will need no introduction, some definitely won't be as familiar.
To see all of the cast members at once, simply click on the VIEW LIST (ONE PAGE) button below!
Margot Robbie As Harley Quinn
Since her breakout role in The Wolf of Wall Street, Margot Robbie has gone on to become one of the biggest stars in Hollywood and has an Academy Award nomination for I, Tonya under her belt. The 28-year-old Aussie actress is only getting started, too, with massive roles in Mary Queen of Scots and in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon in Hollywood on the horizon.
Of course, she'll also be reprising her Suicide Squad role as Harley Quinn in Birds of Prey.
David Ayer's movie was not particularly well received, but Robbie's take on Quinn came in for a lot of praise and fans will be hoping to see the character achieve her full potential now that The Joker is (presumably) out of the picture.
Jurnee Smollett-Bell As Black Canary
32-year-old New Yorker Jurnee Smollett-Bell has been acting steadily for over 15 years, appearing in TV shows such as Friday Night Lights, Grey's Anatomy and Parenthood. She has some big-screen experience too, but Black Canary in Birds of Prey will definitely be her biggest role to date.
We have seen various live-action and animated interpretations of Dinah Lance over the years, but Jurnee's take is expected to be something completely different. Will she sport the character's signature blond locks? We'll just have to wait and see.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead As Huntress
Mary Elizabeth Winstead (35) has had several fairly high profile parts over the years in the likes of Death Proof, The Thing, Scott Pilfrim Vs. The World and 10 Cloverfield Lane, but it's her upcoming turn as The Huntress in Birds of Prey that could really make her a household name.
Fans have wanted to see her make the jump to the superhero genre for quite a while, so there's a lot of excitement surrounding her role as the ruthless Helena Bertinelli.
Fans of the character's comic book counterpart should probably expect some changes to that costume, however!
Rosie Perez As Renee Montoya
Following her debut in Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing back in 1988, Rosie Perez went on to become an established actress, community activist, talk show host, author, dancer and choreographer. She was nominated for an Oscar for her perfirmance in the 1993 movie Fearless.
Since then, she has acted steadily but Birds of Prey will be her first major big-screen gig in quite a while.
Perez's take on GCPD Detective Renee Montoya remains as much of a mystery as the rest of the new characters, but rumor has it she'll be assigned to track down Huntress and the other Birds of Prey before ultimately deciding to join the team.
Ewan McGregor As Black Mask
Scottish actor Ewan McGregor (47) is obviously a huge star and has appeared in countless acclaimed movies since his big-screen debut in Shallow Grave back in 1994, but, despite portraying the younger Obi Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequels, he has never actually appeared in a comic book movie and Birds of Prey will be his first foray into the superhero genre.
Black Mask will be the main villain of the film, and it's believed that Huntress, Canary, Harley and Montoya will team up to take him down when he kidnaps Cassandra Cain.
Chris Messina As Victor Zsasz
Chris Messina is another prominent actor that has yet to receive his big break, despite plenty of acclaim and awards recognition for his role in 2012's Argo. He is arguably best known for playing Danny Castellano in The Mindy Project, and more recently appeared alongside Amy Adams in HBO's Sharp Objects.
Messina will play the sadistic Victor Zsasz in Birds of Prey, who will most likely be introduced either as one of Black Mask's henchmen, or an early foe for Huntress to track down.
Charlene Amoia As Maria Bertinelli
Charlene Amoia began her career as a model before landing guest appearances in the likes of Joey, Girlfriends, Nip/Tuck, 90210 and The Young & The Restless. She is probably best known for playing Wendy the waitress on the hit sitcom How I Met Your Mother.
In Birds of Prey, Amoia will portray Maria Bertinelli, mother of The Huntress and wife of notorious gangster Franco Bertinelli.
Ella Jay Basco As Cassandra Cain
Newcomer Ella Jay Basco will play Cassandra Cain, who suits up as an incarnation of Batgirl in the comics.
There's barely any info available for Basco online (we're not even sure how old she is), but we do know that this will be her feature debut having previously appeared in the likes of Grey’s Anatomy, Veep, and Superior Donuts.
Previous rumors indicate that Harley and the others will team-up to "protect Cain’s character when she comes across a diamond belonging to McGregor’s Black Mask, a kingpin in Gotham City’s criminal underworld."
Director Cathy Yan
Chinese-American writer/director Cathy Yan has previously helmed several shorts and one feature, the acclaimed Dead Pigs. Upon landing the Birds of Prey gig she became the first female Asian director ever tapped to direct a superhero film.
Yan has kept relatively schtum about the project during interviews, but she did recently confirm that the movie will indeed be rated R.