‘Birds Of Prey’ Cast Finally Finds Its Cassandra Cain
The last big holdout in theBirds of Preycast has been found. NewcomerElla Jay Bascois in talks to play Cassandra Cain, one of the Batgirls, in the female-driven superhero film. Basco joins a cast that includesMargot Robbie,Mary Elizabeth Winstead,Jurnee Smollett-Bell,Rosie PerezandEwan McGregor.Cathy Yanis directing from a script byChristina Hodson, who is also writing theBatgirlmovie.
Varietyreports that the last major unfilled role inBirds of Preyis on the verge of being locked-down. Young actress Ella Jay Basco, who has had roles onVeepandGrey’s Anatomy, will likely play the re-imagined Cassandra Cain. In the comics, the character is a bit older than Basco, butBirds of Preyis reinterpreting her as a 12-year-old. In the comics, Cassandraisthe “daughter of assassins David Cain and Lady Shiva. She was deprived of speech and human contact during her childhood as conditioning to become the world’s greatest assassin…Cassandra grew up to become an expert martial artist while simultaneously remaining mute, developing very limited social skills, and being illiterate.” Cassandra also eventually became one of the many Batgirls in the DC universe.
OtherBirds of Preycast members include Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, first introduced inSuicide Squad; Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Black Canary, a hero with an ultrasonic scream; Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress, a vigilante character who is the daughter of a slain mob boss; Rosie Perez as Gotham cop Detective Renee Montoya, and Ewan McGregor as villain Black Mask.
Birds of Preywill be a female-driven superhero film from director Cathy Yan, and while it technically still exists within the continuity of the DCEU, who knows how close it will stick to those parameters. I wouldn’t be surprised if it forged its own path, as it really seems like Warner Bros. is more than ready to leave the DCEU in the past.
The film will be rated R, just like the upcoming Joaquin PhoenixJokermovie, and director Cathy Yan promises a lot of dark humor. “I immediately loved the script and it felt like something I could really do, and it felt very much like my own voice,” the directorsaid, adding: “I could not put the script down, it had so much dark humor to it, which a lot of my work does, and there are themes of female empowerment which are so strong and relatable.”
