What Ewan McGregor Could Look Like As DC’s Black Mask

Casting comic book movies is a trick thing. Each superhero or villain is iconic in their own right, and the hardcore fandom judges each actor based on how accurately they'll resemble the source material. As such, each time a superhero movie gets green-lit, all eyes are on the cast list. DC's Birds of Prey has been doing just that, with reports indicating that Ewan McGregor is circling the role of the villainous Black Mask.

Now a fan has rendered what the Star Wars actor would look like as Gotham City mob boss Roman Sionis. And since he'd obviously be wearing the Black Mask itself, there are actually three images. Check it out.

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Pretty awesome right? With Ewan McGregor reportedly in final negotiations to play the central villain in Birds of Prey, it's exciting to have a visual to associate with the developing story. And it shows how awesome the actor could inhabit the space, if he gets the chance.

This new image comes to us from Geek Vibes Nation, and shows that Ewan McGregor might look like as the Batman rogue. McGregor has had a long career in movies, but he doesn't typically play villainous roles. He was a shining light as Obi-Wan in the Star Wars prequels, and has brought a similar charm to projects like Christopher Robin and Moulin Rouge. So seeing McGregor as a cruel mob boss sounds like a fascinating departure-- especially as part of the DC live-action universe.

While DC has announced plenty of live-action projects with no foreseeable release date, Birds of Prey (if that is indeed its title) is actively developing its cast and crew. Cathy Yan is on board as director, and has been assembling a team to bring DC's second female-fronted franchise forward. Birds of Prey even has a release date, so all signs point to the upcoming team-up film actually hitting theaters in the next few years.

Ewan McGregor's name has been tossed around for Black Mask for a while now, although the most recent report indicated he was in the final negotiations for Birds of Prey. That timing sounds about right, as the movie has been adding stars recently.

Birds of Prey will first and foremost be a vehicle for Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, who became a fan favorite with David Ayer's Suicide Squad. But there's also plenty of new faces, including a trio of DC favorites. They include ultra violent Helena Bertinelli / Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Dinah Lance / Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez). The future of DC is female, and they're going to have to go toe to toe with Black Mask in their debut.

The plot of Birds of Prey is still a mystery at this point, but DC fans are eager to see more of Gotham City and Batman lore enter the DC Universe. Hopefully it'll one day include crossovers with Batman-- if Ben Affleck is even attached to the role by then.

Birds of Prey is currently set to arrive February 7th, 2020. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.