Ewan McGregor or Sharlto Copley could be the villain in Birds of Prey. Warner Bros. is moving full steam ahead on their next Harley Quinn project. Margot Robbie took a special interest in Birds of Prey during its development and pushed the movie quickly onto WB's radar. She's not only starring but producing the film, and has been focused on bringing diverse female voices to the project. Cathy Yan is set to direct the movie, making her the latest female director DC has hired and the first Chinese filmmaker to helm a superhero pic.

So far in the casting process, they've stayed true to this mantra. Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Jurnee Smollett-Bell have been cast as Huntress and Black Canary respectively. They're also looking to cast Renee Montoya and Cassandra Cain, as well as the film's villain. Early reports claim Black Mask is the villain of Yan's choosing and he could be the next one to be cast with WB eyeing a few big names.

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Variety's Justin Kroll shared on Twitter that Ewan McGregor and Sharlto Copley are two of the names Warner Bros. likes for the villain role in Birds of Prey. It is unclear if either of them have actually met with the studio at this stage as Kroll notes meetings for the part have only just begun. Even if they haven't met so far, a meeting could still be lined up if either of the actors share WB's interest. McGregor is best known as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequels, while Copley broke out in District 9. In a later tweet, Kroll revealed that Sam Rockwell passed on the role.

Black Mask The Batman

At this stage in their careers, McGregor is still the bigger name of the two early contenders for the villain. He's got the Star Wars fandom behind him but also just starred in Christopher Robin and season 3 of Fargo, which just so happened to feature Mary Elizabeth Winstead, too. McGregor doesn't traditionally play villains, so this could be a chance for him to do something different. His schedule could allow it, too, once he finishes work on Doctor Sleep, but this would further slow down any potential movement on Obi-Wan - though that Star Wars film has never been officially announced, only rumored.

Even though Copley isn't the name that McGregor may be, he could be a nice fit as Black Mask. After mainly starring in Neill Blomkamp's projects and some smaller indies, it would be a chance for Copley to return to a major property. He certainly has the ability to turn in an incredible performance as a villain. Ultimately, these are just two names that have surfaced to this point, with Rockwell's passing allowing some archetype to form. As these meetings for Birds of Prey continue, it hopefully won't be long before we know who the all-female team will be going up against.

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Source: Justin Kroll

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