‘Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn’ stormed multiplexes this weekend, and though it wasn’t the smash that Warner Brothers may have hoped for, it was still the #1 movie and critics and regular viewers have reacted very positively. Among those fans is Gail Simone, the writer that is perhaps most responsible for the success of the ‘Birds of Prey’ comic book. Thanks to her position of importance, Simone got to see the movie before most regular folks, and she shared that there was one element that she didn’t necessarily care for.
Okay, I want to have a talk about one aspect of the @birdsofpreywb movie that I was withholding judgment on, that did bug me. I think it’s pretty obvious I loved it, but I do have a sizable gripe.
However, that is only meaningful in a larger context.
So mute this, maybe. :)
— GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) February 7, 2020
It’s not hard for readers of the comics to figure out what Simone didn’t love as it’s the one part of the movie that is essentially nothing like the comics. And no, it isn’t the omission of Barbara Gordon a.k.a. Oracle a.k.a. Batgirl. That character has her own movie in the works. But it does involve a Batgirl.
As Simone posted once the picture opened:
“All right, so, to the thing that does stand out, that I wish had gone another way? It’s not Barbara. The Birds of Prey can function with different line-ups. And she was never going to be in this film, it just wasn’t in the cards. It’s Cass. … I have held back commenting on this, mostly, because I wanted to see for myself. But essentially, this Cassandra Cain is a new character. I like her, she’s fun to watch, the actress is adorable (Ella Jay Basco) is great in the role. But she bears no resemblance to Cass. I don’t think of it as an insult so much as a missed opportunity.”
In the comics, Cassandra Cain was raised by the assassin David Cain who molded her into a lethal killer. Because he wanted her focused only on killing, David Cain didn’t even teach her to talk. Eventually, she became a new version of Batgirl. She is now called Orphan.
That’s a far cry from the wayward foster kid with a talent for picking pockets that Basco portrayed. This is definitely a case of a movie character being a comic book character “in name only.”
But the ‘Batgirl’ movie in development will focus on Barbara Gordon. ‘Birds of Prey’ is probably the only way to fit any version of Cassandra into the films.
What did you think of ‘Birds of Prey’s handling of Cassandra Cain?
‘Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn’ is now playing in theaters.
Source: Cinema Blend
