Cathy Yan revealed the advice she got from Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins prior to shooting Birds of Prey.
This year, DC is putting out two films led and directed by a female: Cathy Yan’s Birds of Prey and Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 1984. Both Cathy Yan and Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins only had independent film backgrounds before landing major DC films. Prior to getting the Birds of Prey directing gig, Cathy Yan was a relative unknown filmmaker who was best known for the 2018 Sundance winner, Dead Pigs. Birds of Prey was her first step into blockbuster filmmaking and won the job based off her unique vision for the film.
Cathy Yan is now the second woman to direct a DCEU film, with the first being Wonder Woman‘s Patty Jenkins. In a recent interview with Variety, Cathy Yan revealed that she had plenty of support from Warner Bros. before taking on a major project like Birds of Prey and shared the advice Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins gave to her:
“I had such institutional support from the get go. But at the same time, every day, I remember being very concerned about, like, I’ve never done this before. I actually called up Patty Jenkins during prep and I’m like, ‘What am I doing?’ She told me, ‘You’ve got to remember that no one knows this movie as much as you. That’s what makes you the director.’ And that was really, really helpful.”
What DC film are you more excited for this year? Birds of Prey or Wonder Woman 1984? Sound-off in the comments below!
Here is the official synopsis for Birds of Prey:
“You ever hear the one about the cop, the songbird, the psycho and the mafia princess? Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is a twisted tale told by Harley herself, as only Harley can tell it. When Gotham’s most nefariously narcissistic villain, Roman Sionis, and his zealous right-hand, Zsasz, put a target on a young girl named Cass, the city is turned upside down looking for her. Harley, Huntress, Black Canary and Renee Montoya’s paths collide, and the unlikely foursome have no choice but to team up to take Roman down.”
Directed by Cathy Yan from a script penned by Bumblebee writer Christina Hodson, Birds of Prey stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress, Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Black Canary, Ella Jay Basco as Cassandra Cain, Rosie Perez as Renee Montoya, Chris Messina as Victor Zsasz, Ewan McGregor as Black Mask, and Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. Ali Wong, Robert Catrini, and Michael Masini have also been cast in undisclosed roles.
Birds of Prey will be released in theaters on February 7, 2020. Stay tuned to Heroic Hollywood for all the latest news on Cathy Yan’s Birds of Prey and Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 1984!
Source: Variety
