Fans Celebrate Black Canary’s Birthday by Campaigning for Her Own HBO Series

April 10 marks the birthday of one of our favorite superheroines, Dinah Lance, aka Black Canary. And fans are celebrating the date by campaigning for HBO to greenlight a Black Canary series with Jurnee Smollett reprising her role. Smollett appeared as Black Canary in last year’s Birds of Prey, and while we loved the film, it’s underperformance at the box office has all but doomed our hopes for a sequel. While Margot Robbie is already set to play Harley Quinn in The Suicide Squad reboot (and beyond), there’s been no word on any spinoff project for the rest of the film’s cast.

And that’s a shame, because we’d love nothing more than an HBO series that follows the adventures of Black Canary. Smollett gave a terrific performance in the film, and was only just exploring her powers by the time the credits rolled. There’s no shortage of Black Canary stories to be told, and I for one would love to see a Birds of Prey spinoff series starring Smollet, Rosie Perez (Renee Montoya), and Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Huntress).

And we’re not alone: a Twitter campaign for a Black Canary HBO series has kicked off, garnering thousands of tweets and retweets in support.

Support has grown for the series from fans and creator worldwide, no doubt emboldened by the success of the Snyder Cut. After all, why not shoot our shot?

HBO Max has so many DC series in development, with multiple shows focusing on Batman. Why not throw the Birds of Prey a bone and give us series centered on Black Canary? Marvel and Disney+ have already had massive success with series focused on supporting characters like WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Why not apply that model to these fan favorite characters?

Smollett has since appeared in the critically acclaimed HBO series Lovecraft Country, which has yet to be renewed for a second season. And she has previously said that she would reprise her role as Black Canary “again in heartbeat.” Speaking to Entertainment Weekly for the Women Who Kick Ass panel, part of EW’s Fandom Week, she said, “It’s no secret how much I loved playing Black Canary, and [I was] so honored to take on that mantle. I would absolutely do it again if given a chance.”

Give the people what they want!

(featured image: Warner Bros.)

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Chelsea Steiner

Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.

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