Jurnee Smollett Plays Coy about Black Canary Spinoff

The future of the live-action DC Universe is continuing to grow and evolve, especially amid the recent news surrounding the creation of the newly-minted DC Studios. The division of Warner Bros. Discovery, which will be run by James Gunn and Peter Safran, will oversee a majority of film and television projects inspired by DC's comics. That news has raised a lot of questions about the future of various in-development projects— including Black Canary, a spinoff of 2020's Birds of Prey. The project, which would see Jurnee Smollett reprise her role as Dinah Lance / Black Canary, was first announced to be in the works as an HBO Max-exclusive movie in August of 2021, and official updates have been few and far between ever since. When asked about Black Canary "coming up next year" during a recent appearance on The Cut's In Her Shoes podcast, Smollett played coy — even about the hypothetical time table of when the film will become a reality.

"Can't say a thing," Smollett revealed. "I can't even confirm or deny what you just said."

Will there be a Black Canary movie?

Black Canary would star Smollett as the titular hero, who fights crime with the help of her martial arts skills and high-powered sonic cry. The film is being written by Misha Green, Smollett's collaborator on Underground and Lovecraft Country. The movie has been reported to still be in development as recently as August of this year — something that definitely surprised some DC fans, especially as Warner Bros. Discovery cancelled its Batgirl solo movie, and indicating that it was shifting away from HBO Max-exclusive movies. 

What will the Black Canary movie be about?

While Smollett is unable to tease the specifics of the film, she did thank the fans for being so vocal about wanting to see her portray the role again.

"I can't talk about it, as you know," Smollett explained in a laugh in a recent interview. "But I can say I really am excited about what we're developing."

"Truly, one of the great joys of my professional career has been playing Black Canary and to see the response from the fans online and engaging on Twitter," Smollett revealed. "They are a massive reason why I am where I am, and any excitement I have about continuing on the Black Canary trajectory, it's being made possible because of the fans."

What do you think of the latest update surrounding DC's Black Canary movie? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!