Birds of Prey's Jurnee Smollett-Bell Wants to Play Black Canary Again
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) hit theaters earlier this [...]
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) hit theaters earlier this year, bringing some of the most beloved DC Comics female heroines to the big screen. One of the film's standout characters was undoubtedly Dinah Lance/Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), a nightclub singer-turned-vigilante who ends up being one of the founding members of the Birds of Prey. Smollett-Bell's take on the iconic superhero earned a lot of praise from fans, and it sounds like she'd be more than willing to return to the role again. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Smollett-Bell expressed that she would "absolutely" love to play Black Canary again, if she was given the chance to do so.
"It's no secret how much I loved playing Black Canary, and [I was] so honored to take on that mantle," Smollett-Bell revealed. "I would absolutely do it again if given a chance."
Smollett-Bell also expressed a desire to work more with the 87Eleven action design company, which helped coordinate some of the fight sequences on Birds of Prey.
"Hell yeah," Smollett-Bell continued. "I love the 87eleven team and Chad. I would love to actually work with Chad, that's for sure on my bucket list. He has such a gift for telling the narrative through these really inventive action sequences. The chance to work with 87eleven and do these things, yes, absolutely, absolutely."
While a Birds of Prey sequel or spinoff has yet to officially be announced, it's something that fans of the franchise have certainly been clamoring for, especially given the fact that it ends with Black Canary officially forming the Birds of Prey with Helena Bertinelli/Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez). With a slew of other comic-accurate characters that the team could still add, there certainly are a lot of possibilities.
"Well I think we've talked a lot about Poison Ivy and Oracle," Winstead previously told ComicBook.com, when asked which characters should appear in a sequel.
"Oracle, yeah, we have to have Oracle," Smollett-Bell added. "In the other interview, we were fantasizing about Poison Ivy and Harley against the Birds of Prey. I don't know, there's so many. Lady Shiva and Black Canary have such great [dynamic]."
Of course, given Black Canary's nearly-80-year history in the DC universe, there are countless other places for Smollett-Bell to potentially reprise the role, whether in her own solo film, a team-up with Green Arrow, or an ensemble movie with groups like the Justice League or the Justice League International.
Do you want to see Jurnee Smollett-Bell return as Black Canary? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!