Is Ewan McGregor Heading To DC's Birds of Prey?

The Black Mask and Ewan McGregor

We may be waiting forever to get an Obi-Wan Kenobi standalone film, but in the meantime Ewan McGregor could be headed to the realm of comic book movies for DC's Birds of Prey. The DCEU film has been filling out its cast this week with the announcement of Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress and Jurnee Smollet-Bell as Black Canary, but there are still roles to be filled, including that of the villain. The antagonist for the film is believed to be the crime lord The Black Mask, and now it looks like Ewan McGregor might be leaving a galaxy far, far away and the Hundred Acre Wood behind and heading to Gotham City for the role.

Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment have just started meeting actors for the role of the antagonist in Birds of Prey so nothing is final as of yet. That said, Ewan McGregor is someone that the studio likes for the part, according to Variety's Justin Kroll on Twitter. Ewan McGregor's name isn't the only one that the studio likes for the role of the villainous mob boss either. Actor Sharlto Copley is apparently also in the mix for the part.

Sharlto Copley in Elysium

Taking on the villain role in Birds of Prey would certainly be a lot different than what we are used to seeing from Ewan McGregor. The affable actor just played Christopher Robin after all, so seeing him take on such a villainous character would be very different, but also exciting to see what he could do with it. The criminally insane Roman Sionis A.K.A. The Black Mask has a similar look to Marvel's Red Skull and has at time had powers of mind control, in addition to being a master of disguise and a criminal genius. The plot of Birds of Prey is still under wraps but he should be an entertaining foe for Harley Quinn and her group of heroes to contend with. Hopefully he pops in on them with a "Hello there" Obi-Wan style.

In addition to the role of the villain, Birds of Prey is also still in the process of casting for the roles of future Batgirl Cassandra Cain and Gotham City detective and future Question, Renee Montoya, both of whom will presumably cross paths with Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn. Birds of Prey is set to be the next film in the DCEU to hit theaters after next year's Wonder Woman 1984. Birds of Prey is scheduled for release on February 7, 2020. Cathy Yan will direct Birds of Prey, based on a script by Christina Hodson, who also wrote December's Bumblebee.

Keep an eye on our DCEU guide for the latest casting news from all of the upcoming DCEU movies and head over to the premiere calendar for the biggest movies still to come in 2018.

Nick Evans

Nick grew up in Maryland has degrees in Film Studies and Communications. His life goal is to walk the earth, meet people and get into adventures. He’s also still looking for The Adventures of Pete and Pete season 3 on DVD if anyone has a lead.