Warner Bros. has been making some big moves on their upcoming DC project Birds of Prey. Most of that is due to the resilience of Margot Robbie, who wants nothing more than to play Harley Quinn more than just once, as well as push an all-female comic book property like this one through to theaters. Robbie has been backing this movie from the get-go, and there’s no doubt that she has had and will have a say in the casting calls they make, which is why the announcements that were made yesterday are not surprising.

What do I mean by that? Thanks to Variety for the news break, but casting Mary Elizabeth Winstead & Jurnee Smollett-Bell as two prominent characters like Huntress and Black Canary is absolutely huge. Both actresses are incredibly underrated and after dominating smaller roles that show how talented they really are over the past few years, they’re each getting an opportunity at a gigantic title that will allow them to have a little bit of fun.

What is so exciting about these roles and this movie specifically is that each of these actresses will be able to mold these characters however they see fit, exactly as Robbie was given the freedom in Suicide Squad a few years ago. Yes, there are comic books to take from, but I have no doubt that this movie is a jumping off point for each of these characters and each of these actresses will completely make these roles theirs. I’m very eager to see them take on these characters and see the dynamic between them and Robbie’s Harley Quinn.

There’s no doubt that any iteration of the characters can be told, and we’ll wait to see what kind of details will be revealed. Until then, here’s how Variety described them in their report:

There are several versions of Huntress, aka Helena Bertinelli, throughout DC comics, but the “Birds of Prey” version is a former mafia princess who was devastated at a young age when her family was killed in a mob hit, turning her into a vigilante and eventually leading her to join the Birds of Prey team. Black Canary, aka Dinah Lance, is a good-natured and idealistic streetfighter in the comics.

With moves like this being made so quickly, I would not be surprised to see more details released and pushed forward in the near future. It’s now official slotted for a February 2020 release date, so it would only make sense for the film to start production this Spring at the latest. The film will be directed by Cathy Yan. What do you think of this news? Do you like the names tagged for these roles? Are you a fan of the character roster they’re using? Leave all your thoughts in the comments!