Misha Green, Jurnee Smollett Are Developing a Solo Black Canary Movie!

Warner Bros. and HBO Max have tapped Misha Green to write a standalone movie for Jurnee Smollett’s Dinah Lance/Black Canary. Green has previously worked with Smollett on Underground and Lovecraft Country, the latter of which was canceled earlier this year. Smollett previously played Black Canary in last year’s Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn).

Smollett confirmed the news, tweeting “Guess the Canary is out of the cage! So excited to finally embark on this adventure with my creative soul sis @MishaGreen #blackcanary #dinahlance #lettttssssssgoooooo ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!”

Green tweeted, “We’re just at the very beginning of a loooong journey to the screen, but obvs I couldn’t turn down the chance to put the DAMN in The Black Damn Canary with @jurneesmollett! *whispers* so I’m thinking something like: #BlackCanary

Smollett and Green had previously teased a Black Canary collaboration, with Smollett saying “It’s no secret how much I love Black Canary. It’s a dream, character and was a dream to play her,” she tells Variety. “If [the] dynamics fell in the right way, I would absolutely do it in a heartbeat, and Lord knows, I follow Misha wherever she leads me.”

In a funny twist, Green and Smollett used to play each other in the DCEU fighting video game Injustice 2, where Green regularly played as Black Canary. “And I just would just do the ‘canary scream’ to win all the time, which would frustrate [Jurnee],” Green said. “So, it was like, ‘It’s kind of kismet and funny that you’re now Black Canary because I was using that character to beat you with this game.’”

Plot details are under wraps, but if Green’s emojis are anything to go by, it looks like she wants to bring DC characters Bronze Tiger and Richard Dragon into the film. Bronze Tiger/Benjamin Turner and Richard Dragon/Ricardo Diaz Jr. are both martial arts experts who have previously tangled with Black Canary in the comics. Michael Jai White played Bronze Tiger on the CW’s Arrow, with Kirk Acevedo playing Dragon/Diaz.

Of course, like Green tweeted, this is just the beginning of a long journey from page to screen. Still, we can’t wait to see what Green and Smollett have in store for Dinah Lance. And everyone on social media is excited as well:

(via Deadline, 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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