Despite Batgirl's cancellation, Warner Bros. Pictures' planned Black Canary solo film set within the DC Extended Universe is still a go at HBO Max.
In light of Warner Bros. Discovery pulling the plug on Batgirl, DC fans have worried that the Black Canary movie might meet a similar fate, given the fact that, like Batgirl, the Birds of Prey spinoff was being developed as an HBO Max-exclusive release. However, in a statement to TVLine, a spokesperson for Warner Bros. Pictures confirmed that, at this time, Black Canary remains in development at HBO Max.
Concerns over the fate of the Black Canary movie were certainly not unfounded. After all, one of the reported reasons for Batgirl's cancellation is that Warner Bros. Discovery believed that the HBO Max film simply didn't feel "blockbuster" enough in scale to be part of the DCEU. According to Rolling Stone, the new regime at Warner Bros. Discovery, led David Zaslav, has mandated that "DC films should be released theatrically or not at all." If this is true, however, Black Canary's continued development would suggest the rule is not set in stone.
Notably, another planned DCEU film previously slated for an HBO Max-exclusive release was Blue Beetle. Late last year, however, it came to light that Blue Beetle had actually been upgraded to a theatrical release. The film, which wrapped production last month, is currently slated to hit theaters in one year's time on Aug. 18, 2023.
Birds of Prey's Black Canary Is Still Due for a Comeback
Jurnee Smollett first portrayed Dinah Lance/Black Canary in the DCEU film Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), which hit theaters in early 2020. In August 2021, it was reported that Smollett would reprise her role as Black Canary in an HBO Max spinoff film, with Misha Green (Lovecraft Country) attached to pen the script. It was once rumored that the now-dead Batgirl film, which starred Leslie Grace in the lead role of Barbara Gordon, would have served as a launchpad for HBO Max's Black Canary movie.
In Birds of Prey, Smollett's Dinah Lance -- a metahuman with a powerful sonic scream -- works as a burlesque singer at the Black Mask Club, owned by main antagonist Roman Sionis/Black Mask (Ewan McGregor). She also serves as Sionis's personal chauffer. Dinah ultimately turns on her villainous boss, however, joining forces with Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) in order to protect Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) from Sionis.
Source: TVLine