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SYFY WIRE Birds of Prey

Mary Elizabeth Winstead says Birds of Prey is 'funny and weird' with '90s vibe

By Josh Weiss
Mary Elizabeth Winstead Birds of Prey Huntress

In less than a year, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) will be teaming up with a few kick-ass women in the DC Universe to protect Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) from the retribution of Black Mask (Ewan McGregor). Among her allies are Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) and Helena Bertinelli/Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Ali Wong, Rosie Perez, Chris Messina, Steven Williams, Derek Wilson, Dana Lee, François Chau, and Matthew Willig also co-star.

During a recent interview with The New York Times, Winstead offered an update on Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), providing a short (yet illuminating) description of her character and the overall tone of the story.

"In Birds of Prey, I play this assassin who’s been trained since childhood. It’s all women and genuinely funny and weird. It feels from the ’90s, in the best way," she said.

Based on this character description, it sounds like Huntress is basically the Black Widow of the DC Extended Universe. When it comes to the '90s vibe, that could mean a multitude of things, but since the movie is set in Gotham City, you can maybe expect a few nods to the camp and color seen in the Joel Schumacher Batman features.

Birds of Prey swoops upon theaters February 7, 2020. Directed by Cathy Yan (Dead Pigs), the screenplay was penned by Christina Hodson (Bumblebee). Principal photography wrapped in April.

Winstead next appears in Gemini Man opposite Will Smith, Benedict Wong, and Clive Owen. The science fiction film, helmed by Hulk's Ang Lee, opens everywhere Oct. 11.

"In Gemini Man I’m a D.I.A. [Defense Intelligence Agency] agent who’s been hired to keep an eye on Will Smith," Winstead also told the NYT.