Birds of Prey: Ewan McGregor to play Black Mask

Looks like young Obi-Wan Kenobi to walk on the dark side after all with Ewan McGregor taking on the role of Black is in Cathy Yan’s Birds of Prey.

News surrounding DCEU’s upcoming girl gang flick, Birds of Prey has surfaced abundantly over the past few weeks. Last month reports surfaced that Hollywood vet, Rosie Perez would join Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Margot Robbie. On Thursday, The Wrap reported that Ewan McGregor is negotiating with Warner Bros. to play Black Mask.

"“Ewan McGregor is in final negotiations to play Gotham City mob boss and Batman foe Black Mask in Warner Bros’ “Birds of Prey,” individuals with knowledge of the project.”"

To many fans, McGregor will forever be known as the young Obi-Wan Kenobi from George Lucas’ Star Wars prequel trilogy. However, he’s long since put down the lightsaber for moves like Haywire, Jack and the Giant Slayer, Jane Got a Gun, Beauty and the Beast, and most recently Christopher Robin. The role of Black Mask is far different from any role he’s played before.

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Who is Black Mask?

In the pages of DC Comics, before becoming the Gotham City crime boss, Black Mask was born Roman Sionis. Roman was the son of wealthy parents who owned cosmetic enterprise. His parents, however, cared more about their lifestyle than Roman so he grew up isolated and alone.

After recovering from a rabid raccoon bite Roman began displaying tendencies of a psychopath. Nevertheless, Roman excelled in the family business becoming Vice President of his parents’ company in short order. Roman’s life changed after falling in love with a model, Cicre, but his parents weren’t happy.

Roman eventually murdered his parents and he took over the company. Roman’s obsession’s with mask fueled an idea for a new product that quickly bankrupted his company. Cicre left him and Wayne Enterprises took over his company.

While visiting his family’s tomb, a bolt of lightning struck Roman, but survived. Seeing his survival as a sign he crushed his father’s ebony casket and created a mask giving birth to Black Mask. Roman gained a legion of followers he dubbed the False Face Society. Which allowed him to quickly rise up the criminal ranks in Gotham City.

Black Mask in Birds of Prey

Thanks to some emerging plot details about Birds of Prey we learned more about Black Mask’s and the role in the film.  of Black Mask’s mythos in Birds of Prey differs from the comics. In the movie, he’s attempting to gain the services of a girl, Cassandra Cain, his gun for hire. Moreover, he also has a history with Huntress as an employer.

Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) is tasked with bringing down Huntress and Black Mask and their murderous spree. When the truth is revealed that Black Mask murdered Helena’s (Huntress) parent’s — he becomes her target.

The history between Huntress and Black Mask brings a personal dynamic that isn’t there in the comics. In a world without Batman, Black Canary, Harley Quinn, Renee, and Huntress form an unlikely team to take down Black Mask. With the different motives and history that varies from the comics, we can’t wait to see how it all plays out. Birds of Prey will hit theaters Feb. 7, 2020.