Old Birds of Prey Discussion Thread

[Milk Tray Guy]

Anyone else remember the Birds of Prey show?

I don't think it was ever shown here in the UK. I've heard people say it was terrible but was it really that bad?

 

[Fincher]

Black Panther is named Black Panther because he dresses up like a black panther. Anyway, while superheroes being called Black Whatever because they're black might happen, I wouldn't say it's overly intuitive. Like they need to come up with a name, and they go, "Well, I'm black, so I should call myself Black Something-or-other." Like Green Arrow could be the White Arrow instead, since he's white, and Jamie Reyes would be Hispanic Beetle.

Maybe it could be justified if Dinah was big on black pride, but I don't exactly think of black pride when I think of Dinah because...she's not black. That has nothing to do with her character.

 

[Primal Slayer]

As I understand it, the technical name given to such rare canaries is Onyx Canary. Regardless, why would Dinah choose the BLACK canary to name herself after? If it's just because of her chosen black attire, then okay. But that's no more sophisticated or clever than an alter ego having "Black" in their name either because their clothes or their race or both. So, when people say they took the Black in Black Canary too literally with Jurnee's casting, I can't help but think, "So what?" The "Black" part of her name was apparently literal in some way before, if it was based on the link between a literal black canary and Dinah's black clothes, and it's not uncommon for black heroes to have it in their name, like Black Panther or Black Lightning. Ultimately, I think the name and the casting choice suits the character, and since it seems it was hard to find a dark-skinned Italian or Afro-Italian for Huntress, I'm glad they were able to integrate diversity in their casting with Dinah so organically.

The Green Arrow and the Green Lantern arent actually green. They just wear green clothes like Canary wears black. It would be that simple, nothing that needs to be examined.

 

[misslane38]

Black Panther is named Black Panther because he dresses up like a black panther. Anyway, while superheroes being called Black Whatever because they're black might happen, I wouldn't say it's overly intuitive. Like they need to come up with a name, and they go, "Well, I'm black, so I should call myself Black Something-or-other." Like Green Arrow could be the White Arrow instead, since he's white, and Jamie Reyes would be Hispanic Beetle.

Maybe it could be justified if Dinah was big on black pride, but I don't exactly think of black pride when I think of Dinah because...she's not black. That has nothing to do with her character.

I'm not saying Dinah would have called herself Black Canary just because she's black, but that she would feel like it suited her because of what she wears AND who she is. And, sure, Black Panther calls himself that because of the resemblance to a black panther, but most people don't specify the color of a panther when casually referring to one. He specifically chose to include the black qualifier, as did his creators, as a nod to his race and the social movement of the 60s and 70s. The same is true of Black Lightning; it's a nod to his race. For Dinah, you get the "black" for the same reason you get "green" for Green Arrow AND for the same reason you get "black" in Black Lightning, etc. It has multiple meanings—it can be just the color of their costume or something more—and that's okay.

What's nice is while, yes, being black had nothing to do with the character of BC before, it can have something to do with it now. As I recall, Dinah has a father who was in law enforcement and she is passionate about social justice. The idea that Jurnee's Dinah's heroism and activism could be influenced by the African-American aspect of her life experiences and her name could be something she created initially as a stage name as a singer simply adds new compelling layers to the character just as people have been doing since she was created. Anyway, I doubt that the name's origin is going to be explored in the movie, and it's not as if it's been a big part of her existing canon backstory either.

 

[misslane38]

The Green Arrow and the Green Lantern arent actually green. They just wear green clothes like Canary wears black. It would be that simple, nothing that needs to be examined.

Again, I'm not saying she would just call herself Black Canary because she is black, just that it would have a layered meaning and significance to her. If names can be literal based on the color of costume worn, then names can be literal based on color of costume worn AND race. It can be a play on words and expectations, and that's neat to me. Moreover, those heroes don't randomly wear green. Green Arrow wears it because he's honoring Robin Hood. Green Lantern wears it because that color of light signifies one's will in Lantern mythology. So the question becomes, "Why does Dinah choose to wear black?" It can't be because of her vigilantism, because Oliver's Green Arrow doesn't follow the same logic. For Dinah, then, maybe the color means something special to her, and if that can be expanded to a nod to her race as a sign of pride, then I think that's a cool twist that doesn't even, and probably won't be, explored explicitly onscreen.

 

[Spider-Man Luvr28]

Sooo MEW gave an interview to The Wrap. She's playing Helena Berinelli and is starting training soon.

“I’m going to start training, and I’ll be learning how to shoot a bow and arrow, too — which is new for me,” Winstead told TheWrap during an interview for her latest film, a dramedy called “All About Nina,” in theaters this weekend.

'Birds of Prey' Mary Elizabeth Winstead: Huntress Is 'Strong,' 'Emotional'

There's also another interview with her via The Observer. Exclusive: Mary Elizabeth Winstead on How ‘Birds of Prey’ Could Change the Superhero Genre

 

[Fincher]

What's nice is while, yes, being black had nothing to do with the character of BC before, it can have something to do with it now.

Well, for me, it's not nice because, not wanting her to be changed to black to start with, it increases the chances that any future versions of the character will be black to avoid accusations of whitewashing. Casual viewers who haven't seen the character in other things could easily come to associate her with being black.

As for being nice for black people, it'll probably depend on who you ask. I imagine those who don't appreciate racebending will find this that much more patronizing, because it's taking something that wasn't intended to be about race and treating it, implicitly or not, as a symbol of black pride.

 

[Knight-Tale]

MEW might want to read up on Huntress before some fans get any more riled about the source material
She uses a crossbow
I'm sure Cathy Yan just gave her the jist of the character

 

[Boom]

Race-bending Black Canary doesn't particularly bother me because I never got the impression that her ethnicity played a significant role in her identity, unlike Bruce Wayne and King T'Challa for example. She was white for the same reason many comic book characters were white - it was the norm at the time.

It's just not a dealbreaker for me in this particular instance. One's mileage may vary.

 

[Scarlet Spider]

Sooo MEW gave an interview to The Wrap. She's playing Helena Berinelli and is starting training soon.



'Birds of Prey' Mary Elizabeth Winstead: Huntress Is 'Strong,' 'Emotional'

There's also another interview with her via The Observer. Exclusive: Mary Elizabeth Winstead on How ‘Birds of Prey’ Could Change the Superhero Genre

She's going to crush this and make a great Huntress, I have no doubt.

I'm so happy for her. I've been following her career for a long, long time. The girl is extremely talented and underrated (and oh, so gorgeous! ) but just hasn't been able to break out, like her fellow peers have, despite having a pretty respectable filmography. Not to mention she's been up for, tested or rumored for so may roles in this genre.

(Wonder Woman (George Miller), Mary Jane/Gwen Stacy, Maria Hill, Sharon Carter, Domino, etc. LOL)

I wanted her for Oracle but seeing as Babs won't be in this, I'll easily take her as Huntress!

Either way, I'm glad this is getting made. Big Margot fan. Loved her Harley. She deserves to be showcased in a quality film. Hopefully this is it. (Like Patty Jenkins did for Gal, after she did BvS.)

MEW's casting is icing on the cake!

 

[fan4stic]

I think there were these black guys who spoke against Starfire being race changed, so I think there are those against that.

 

[Rocanrol]

I'm not a fan of Black Canary casting. I know it says "black" in the name but come on. Stop with this race-changing casting DC! Just make good non-white characters and be done with it.

 

[brandeezy89]

I remember MEW telling Patty she wanted to be in WW84 on Twitter before she deleted her account. She got close enough lol

And even though he clickbaits a lot, RTF made a good point regarding the BC casting. He said if Gaga and other white actresses were also included in the casting for the role then that means that they weren't trying to fill a quota and were looking for the best actress for the job.

 

[Erzengel]

Race-bending Black Canary doesn't particularly bother me because I never got the impression that her ethnicity played a significant role in her identity, unlike Bruce Wayne and King T'Challa for example. She was white for the same reason many comic book characters were white - it was the norm at the time.

It's just not a dealbreaker for me in this particular instance. One's mileage may vary.

It's not a dealbreaker for me but it just seems more of the goto. Either replacing a white character with a black actor or replacing an asian character with someone who's white.

Personally, I'd like to see other races given opportunities.

I remember MEW telling Patty she wanted to be in WW84 on Twitter before she deleted her account. She got close enough lol

And even though he clickbaits a lot, RTF made a good point regarding the BC casting. He said if Gaga and other white actresses were also included in the casting for the role then that means that they weren't trying to fill a quota and were looking for the best actress for the job.

Birds of Prey, which marked the first time a non-white, female filmmaker had been hired to direct a DC movie.

Terminal, that she will be putting just as much effort into ensuring her co-leads are just as diverse."

Now the Harley Quinn actress has confirmed to Yahoo Movies, during an interview about her new movie Terminal, that she will be putting just as much effort into ensuring her co-leads are just as diverse.

“Yep, yes exactly, real life isn’t so one specific image,” Robbie said. “We’ve got to reflect that onscreen.”

 

[fan4stic]

I would've preferred if they were gonna cast a black actress they cast Gugu Mbatha-Raw. The look of this actress doesn't work for me.

It's not a dealbreaker for me but it just seems more of the goto. Either replacing a white character with a black actor or replacing an asian character with someone who's white.

Personally, I'd like to see other races given opportunities.

If they wanted that, I think they could've used diverse characters. I think rhat's how you can make those diverse characters popular to the general audience too. Instead of shirking them, use them and show them off for those that might like it.

 

[TheFuture]

I would've preferred if they were gonna cast a black actress they cast Gugu Mbatha-Raw. The look of this actress doesn't work for me.If they wanted that, I think they could've used diverse characters. I think rhat's how you can make those diverse characters popular to the general audience too. Instead of shirking them, use them and show them off for those that might like it.

I would have preferred Gugu myself as I'm finding it hard to imagine Jurnee in costume alongside MEW and Robbie.

I can only imagine she smashed her test with Robbie which is something to be happy about. Grace Randolph claimed Monae refused to test. I did get a laugh out of that one.

 

[Greenlite]

I would have preferred Gugu myself as I'm finding it hard to imagine Jurnee in costume alongside MEW and Robbie.

I can only imagine she smashed her test with Robbie which is something to be happy about. Grace Randolph claimed Monae refused to test. I did get a laugh out of that one.

i think one of the trades or reporters said that when last week's news broke

 

[Greenlite]

Yup, still can't imagine her as Black Canary, lol, but I think she look like a veteran/seasoned BOSS canary....I could see her boss Harley around

 

[Rocanrol]

Domino, Mary Jane, Black Canary and several others... blackening indeed is becoming a fashion that i'm against.

 

[jed]

I wasn't planning to watch this but since they cast Mary Elizabeth Winstead, I might have to give this a chance.

I have always like Mary Elizabeth Winstead ever since I first saw her in "Sky High", followed by "Final Destination 3", "Death Proof", "Die Hard 4", "Black Christsmas", "Scott Pilgrim vs the World", "Make it Happen", "The Thing"

I was rooting for her to play Mary Jane Watson and Wonder Woman. Obviously that can't happen now as she's too old to play Mary Jane and Gal Gadot is Wonder Woman.

As of right now, this movie is great except for that casting of Jurnee Smollet Bell as Black Canary which sticks out like a sore thumb to me.

And they claim to want to cast a black actress for Black Canary, but end up casting a mixed/biracial/ light-skinned black actress for Black Canary.

How typical of Hollywood. It's always those mixed/light-skinned black actress getting roles (Halle Berry)

 

[2kt09]

I would have preferred Gugu myself as I'm finding it hard to imagine Jurnee in costume alongside MEW and Robbie.

I can only imagine she smashed her test with Robbie which is something to be happy about. Grace Randolph claimed Monae refused to test. I did get a laugh out of that one.

Like Kat Graham, wouldn't be into a petite Black Canary.
Jurnee looks stockier.

 

[fan4stic]

I think Gugu's a better look and age.

 

[Poppy]

Gugu is prettier but I'm liking Jurnee as Dinah more everyday. Now, I just hope that they don't call the movie BoP, since Barbara is not in the movie.

 

[TheFuture]

It's not necessarily about Mbatha Raw's look but general talent. I thought she would have been a perfect fit here. But again I take it as a positive because Jurnee must have demonstrated something exceptional to deny Gugu.

Grace Randolph was ridiculously harsh towards both ladies castings. Bringing MEWs personal life into it and all. I like Grace but she's had a bad week between her Joker coverage, her coverage here and reaction to the last Fantastic Beasts trailer (saying you're relying on fan knowledge doesn't excuse bad analysis).

 

[2kt09]

It's not necessarily about Mbatha Raw's look but general talent. I thought she would have been a perfect fit here. But again I take it as a positive because Jurnee must have demonstrated something exceptional to deny Gugu.

Grace Randolph was ridiculously harsh towards both ladies castings. Bringing MEWs personal life into it and all. I like Grace but she's had a bad week between her Joker coverage, her coverage here and reaction to the last Fantastic Beasts trailer (saying you're relying on fan knowledge doesn't excuse bad analysis).

We don't even know what kind of performance this first-time director and first-time writer is aiming towards.