Update 10/3/18:

Put away your comically large magnifying glasses, casting scoop-hounds, because Birds of Prey has cast Oscar-nominated actress Rosie Perez as Detective Renee Montoya, according to The Wrap. A detective working for the Gotham City Police Department, Montoya is openly gay and one of the most enduring characters in Batman’s canon. During the New 52 era of DC Comics, Montoya took on a costumed alter ego of her own as The Question, but something tells me we won’t see that happen on the big screen when Birds of Prey hits theaters on February 7, 2020.

In their report, The Wrap also says that the Black Mask will be the film’s main villain. For those who don’t know, the Black Mask is a brutal crime lord who, as his name might suggest, wears a trademark black skull mask and has a penchant for torture. The only torturous thing about this movie so far though will be the wait to see these actresses in action as some of our favorite comic book heroes.

Update 9/26/18:

Harley Quinn has recruited Black Canary and Huntress for the upcoming Birds of Prey. Deadline reports Warner Bros. has cast the superhero roles with Jurnee Smollett-Bell (Underground, Parenthood) playing Black Canary and Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Black Canary, Fargo) playing Huntress. They’ll join Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn in the DC Comics film, which still needs to cast Renee Montoya.

The current release date for the film is February 7, 2020.

Original post:

Margot Robbie‘s return as Harley Quinn is set to happen early next year when the upcoming Birds of Prey film begins filming. Rumors are swirling about just which DC Comics heroines will be the members of the crime fighting team. In the comics, the Birds have usually been led by Barbara Gordon as Batgirl, or sometimes as Oracle. She is almost always joined by female vigilantes Black Canary and the Huntress. So did any of those characters make the cut? And who will the Birds be fighting when they hit the big screen?

According to The Wrap, the reported line-up for the team does indeed include Black Canary and the Huntress, but its Batgirl appears to be Cassandra Cain and not Barbara Gordon. Another character who is said to be included on the team is Gotham City detective Renee Montoya. In previous interviews, Margot Robbie insisted she wanted a more diverse cast, and if they are sticking to the comics, then Montoya is of Latin descent and LGBTQ, and Cassandra Cain is Asian, so this gives credence to the current rumors.

Some months back it was reported Barbara Gordon would be introduced in this film before her Batgirl solo movie, but it could be that we still see Babs in her Oracle identity. Cassandra Cain has used the aliases of Batgirl and Black Bat in the past, and more recently has gone by the name Orphan. So there may be no Batgirl at all in the film, and they could still find a way to use both characters. Christina Hodson wrote the script for this film, and she is also writing Batgirl, so it would make sense to allude to Barbara Gordon in some form.

The original report also says the villain in Birds of Prey will be a Batman comics villain who has never before appeared on the big screen. So that leaves out recently rumored characters like the Penguin, Catwoman and Poison Ivy. Although just because the latter two aren’t villains doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t appear. It is possible that Black Mask could be the baddie in question, as he has never been used in live-action before. Birds of Prey is set to be directed by Cathy Yan, and will probably be released in 2020 if all goes well.

Who do you want to see join the Birds of Prey? Be sure to let us know your thoughts down below in the comments.

Images: Warner Brothers / DC Comics