Black Canary Writer Misha Green Breaks Silence on Re-Teaming With Jurnee Smollett

By Jenna Anderson

DC's girl gladiator is officially getting her own adventure. Today, it was confirmed that Warner Bros. is developing a Black Canary movie for HBO Max, which will surround the solo adventures of the beloved female character. Jurnee Smollett, who portrayed Dinah Lance/Black Canary in last year's Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), will be reprising her role and re-team with Lovecraft Country showrunner Misha Green, who is writing the script.

After news broke this week, Green took to social media to address the Black Canary film and her partnership with Smollett. Check out her tweet below:

Created by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino, Dinah Drake/Black Canary started out as a highly-skilled martial artist who subverted femme fatale expectations, and quickly became one of the first popular female heroes of DC's Golden Age. As the decades of her canon went along, she served as a prolific member of the Justice Society of America and the Justice League, and she also developed an ability to emit a powerful sonic scream dubbed the "Canary Cry". A second incarnation of the character — Dinah Laurel Lance, the original Black Canary's daughter — was also established in the Bronze Age of comics. Black Canary is also one of the founding members of the Birds of Prey, and is frequently partnered with Oliver Queen/Green Arrow on both a professional and romantic level. She has appeared across countless issues of comics, as well as multiple television shows, video games, music, and even a young adult novel.

In Birds of Prey, Smollett's take on Black Canary was established as a singer at the Black Mask Club, whose reluctance to be a hero was sparked by the tragic death of her mother. As the film went along, Black Canary embraced her role as a hero — and her Canary Cry, which she'd inherited from her mother — ultimately helping found the Birds of Prey at the end of the film.

Fans have expressed a desire to see Smollett's take on Black Canary return in some capacity, with specific calls for an HBO original series popping up on social media.

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"It's no secret how much I loved playing Black Canary, and [I was] so honored to take on that mantle," Smollett revealed in an interview last year. "I would absolutely do it again if given a chance."

What do you think of a Black Canary solo project becoming a reality? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

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