TheBirds of Preymoviehas cast a key role. The Harley Quinn spinoff at DC Films was spurred by actress/producerMargot Robbie, and it’ll find herSuicide Squadcharacter teaming up with a group of other female DC characters for a new superhero adventure. The film has amassed an impressive ensemble thus far that includesMary Elizabeth Winsteadas Huntress,Jurnee Smollett-Bellas Black Canary, andRosie Perezas Gotham City Police detective Renee Montoya, withEwan McGregorrecently signing on to play the villain Black Mask. And now the character of Cassandra Cain—who in the comics goes on to become Batgirl—has been cast.
PerVariety, newcomerElla Jay Bascowill fill the role of Cain, who in the comics is the daughter of a pair of assassins and is deprived of speech and human contact as a child as part of her assassin training. At some point down the road she befriends Bruce Wayne and becomes Batgirl, and while Warner Bros. is developingaBatgirlmovie, it’s unclear if that film would also star Basco as the moniker has been filled by different characters over the years.
InBirds of Prey, the story finds the aforementioned female characters teaming up to protect Cain when she comes across a diamond that belongs to Black Mask, who is a kingpin in Gotham City’s criminal underworld. WhenJames Gunnsigned on to writeSuicide Squad 2from scratch (essentially rebooting the property), it was revealed that previous directorGavin O’ConnorleftSuicide Squad 2when he discovered the story he pitched was too similar to the one being used forBirds of Prey. So we can reasonably assume that previous iteration ofSuicide Squad 2would have found the squad protecting someone important.
Basco is a true newcomer with only single episodes of shows likeVeepandGrey’s Anatomyunder her belt, but she’s in line with what directorCathy Yanwas looking for in the character—a teen/pre-teen of Asian descent. This is a wonderfully diverse cast thus far, and it’s all the more exciting knowing that the film is being craftedwith an R-rating in mind.
Production is set to get underway onBirds of Preysoon in anticipation of the film’s June 28, 2025 release date. For a full rundown of upcoming DC Films projects and their various statuses,click here.
