Jurnee Smollett is returning for a Black Canary HBO Max film written by Lovecraft Country's Misha Green. Warner Bros. and DC Films are starting to increase their production output on multiple fronts. There is a full slate of theatrical films extending into 2023, but HBO Max will also be the home to a few different exclusive films. Batgirl and Blue Beetle are two confirmed movies set in the DC Extended Universe that will launch on the streaming service, with several other DCEU TV shows in development too.
The avenue HBO Max provides WB and DC with to create more content has led to various calls for new projects to be part of the streaming service. It was already the home for Zack Snyder's Justice League, and fans continue to clamor for the Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad too. But, there have also been fan movements for anything from Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke to Ben Affleck's The Batman to be reimagined as HBO Max exclusives. Black Canary became another popular choice for a character who could work well on HBO Max, but no solo project with Jurnee Smollett's Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) was known to be in the works before.
It has now been revealed that a Black Canary movie is in early development at HBO Max. The report originates from Cinelinx and has since been supported by Collider's own sources. Jurnee Smollett is slated to return as Dinah Lance in the HBO Max original movie, which will be written by Misha Green. Smollett and Green previously worked together on HBO's Lovecraft Country. The reports note that it could be a while before Black Canary happens due to Green's busy schedule.
The emergence of a solo Black Canary movie is something fans have been hoping for ever since Birds of Prey was released last year. Jurnee Smollett's portrayal of the DC hero immediately connected with viewers and made her a fan-favorite addition to the DCEU. Originally, a trending hashtag called for Smollett to star in a Black Canary HBO Max series. While this isn't a series, the solo project is nevertheless an exciting conclusion to this fan movement. Even though Green has a full plate of projects ahead of her, hopefully it won't be too long before her Black Canary script is ready so the project can move forward.
With Black Canary's DCEU story now set to continue, it will be fascinating to see how connected or separate the project is from Birds of Prey and other upcoming projects. This could be a great place to see Mary Elizabeth Winstead's Huntress, Rosie Perez's Renee Montoya, and Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn return. Perhaps Black Canary will even be the project that brings Oliver Queen aka Green Arrow to the DCEU, especially now that Stephen Amell has hung up the bow for The CW. Now fans will just have to wait for more updates on Black Canary to see how quickly it develops.
