Birds Of Prey Spin-Off Margot Robbie Out Jurnee Smollett In

HBO Max just greenlit ‘Black Canary’, a spin-off of Warner Bros.’s DC film ‘Birds of Prey’. But is Margot Robbie’s infamous Harley Quinn a part of it? Let’s find out.

Last year, in an interview with “Entertainment Weekly”, when Jurnee Smollett was asked about the chances of a ‘Birds of Prey‘ spin-off or sequel being on the cards, she couldn’t confirm anything. But she exclaimed, “It’s no secret how much I loved playing Black Canary, and I was so honoured to take on that mantle. I would absolutely do it again if given a chance”. Well, looks like the universe answered her prayers.

Highlights â€"

‘Birds of Prey’: Hit or miss?

Is Margot Robbie a part of ‘Birds of Prey’ spin-off ‘Black Canary’?

‘Black Canary’: Release date, trailer and cast

Watch Jurnee Smollett spill the beans on how she became a part of Harley Quinn’s girl gang

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‘BIRDS OF PREY’: HIT OR MISS?

Warner Bros. released ‘Birds of Prey’ in February 2020, featuring DC universe characters Harley Quinn, played by Margot Robbie, the Huntress, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Cassandra Cain, played by Ella Jay Basco and Black Canary, played by Jurnee Smollett.

Despite having a powerful female cast, the box-office performance of ‘Birds of Prey’ wasn’t as strong. Made with a budget of around $100 million, the film managed to gross only $201.8 million worldwide. Nonetheless, it did generate ample fan interest, all thanks to the stellar performances.

Margot Robbie’s out, Jurnee Smollett’s in: HBO Max confirms ‘Birds of Prey’ spin-off ‘Black Canary’ is in the works

‘Birds of Prey’ was never expected to break box-office records during its theatrical run, but it was rather touted to become another memorable film from the WB-DC banner. Considering the widely-received positive reviews, especially on Margot Robbie’s performance as the lead character Harley Quinn, ‘Birds of Prey’ could be deemed as a critical success. Unfortunately, the film tanked at the box office, posting the lowest opening ever garnered by a DC film in the last decade.

Watch the ‘Birds of Prey’ roundtable with Margot Robbie, Jurnee Smollett and others

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Related: Can Black Canary be revived after a disastrous first outing?

WILL THERE BE A ‘BIRDS OF PREY’ SPIN-OFF WITHOUT MARGOT ROBBIE?

Interestingly, ‘Birds of Prey’ was re-released digitally, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, giving the film another chance to redeem itself. But sadly, the response wasn’t enough to give ‘Birds of Prey’ the boost that it truly needed. Even Robbie’s Harley Quinn couldn’t make up for the losses. This left fans wondering if Margot Robbie would ultimately make it to the new spin-off. Unfortunately, WB gave it a hard pass.

Jurnee Smollett and Misha Green on ‘Black Canary’ collaboration

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But there’s good news for the fans of Jurnee Smollett as ‘Black Canary’ will see her back in action as Dinah Lance. Misha Green has been locked in as the writer on board. ‘Black Canary’ will mark the third collaboration for the duo, who earlier worked together on ‘Underground’ and ‘Lovecraft Country’. In fact, the two of them seem pretty excited to be teaming up again. Both the ladies took to Twitter to confirm the announcement.

“Guess the Canary is out of the cage! So excited to finally embark on this adventure with my creative soul sis @mishagreen”, tweeted Smollett.

In no time, Green chimed in by tweeting, “We’re just at the very beginning of a loooong journey to the screen, but obvs I couldn’t turn down the chance to put the DAMN in The Black Damn Canary with @jurneesmollett!”

We're just at the very beginning of a loooong journey to the screen, but obvs I couldn't turn down the chance to put the DAMN in The Black Damn Canary with @jurneesmollett! ðŸ¤'ðŸ'ƒðŸ¾ðŸ¤©

*whispers* so I’m thinking something like:

🐦🎤🎶🥋🐯🐉 🤼‍♀️ ðŸ'š #BlackCanary

â€" Misha Green (@MishaGreen) August 21, 2021

When “Den of Geek” asked Robbie about the ‘Birds of Prey’ sequel, she clearly stated, “I don’t know if that is on the horizon anytime soon. I don’t think it’s a no. But no, there’s no sequel in the works that I’m aware of at this stage”. So, whether it’s a ‘Black Canary’ series or a stand-alone film, is still unclear, but what’s certain is Margot Robbie is left out from the ‘Birds of Prey’ spin-off.

Junree Smollett reacts to fans calling for ‘Birds of Prey’ spin-off

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‘BLACK CANARY’: RELEASE DATE, TRAILER AND CAST

For all those unaware of the character of Black Canary, she is one of DC’s long-standing characters, created in the late 1940s. Since the 60s, Canary has been mostly associated with Green Arrow and is famously known for her stentorian canary cry. As for the plotlines of HBO Max’s ‘Black Canary’, nothing has been revealed so far. But with this venture, ‘Black Canary’ joins the steadily-growing herd of HBO Max movies revolving around DC characters like Blue Beetle, Batgirl and Black Superman.

But as the title suggests, the upcoming spin-off will focus solely on Lance, whose special powers as a metahuman enable her to emit ultrasonic screams.

‘Birds of Prey’ producer Sue Kroll, will also be producing ‘Black Canary’ under Kroll & Co Entertainment. Besides these, any other details regarding the trailer, release date, or cast have been under the wraps. But, hopefully, an official announcement can be expected by this year’s end at the DC FanDome scheduled to take place in October. Will a ‘Birds of Prey’ spin-off without Margot Robbie cost ‘Black Canary’ its success? Tell us in the comments below.

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