'Birds of Prey': Here's why Cassandra Cain is the deadliest member of Bat-family despite her young age
'Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)' will be bringing one of the most formidable fighters in the DC universe to the big screen. If you think we mean Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), think again because the person you should really be watching out for in the movie is Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco).
In an interview with A Book Of, Basco spoke about the work she had to put in to prepare for the role, including reading a few comics and practicing her martial arts skills. That second thing will likely be very useful considering the character she's playing.
"The audition process was a month long and I had to go in about 5 times," Basco explained. "I watched a bunch of movies, practiced my martial arts skills, and even read some comic books about Cassandra Cain to prepare. When I got the role, my mom picked me up from school right away and told me in the car with my agent on the phone. I was immediately in shock and couldn't believe I booked it! I worked really hard on this role and got emotional because I wanted this part so bad! I mean I totally cried. I knew from that moment on, my life would change forever."
Introduced in 1999, Cassandra has had a number of vigilante identities including Batgirl, Black Bat, and Orphan but one thing she's always retained across all her identities is her reputation as Batman's greatest weapon. That's right, you might think one of the Robins might be the deadliest member of the Bat-family but that title goes to Cassandra, and with good reason.
Born the daughter of two of the world's greatest assassins, Cassandra was raised to be a killer from infancy. She wasn't taught to speak, read or write by her parents. Instead, she was trained from birth to be the world's deadliest assassin.
Violence was quite literally Cassandra's first language. In fact, Cassandra only learned the basics of social interaction in the comics after meeting the Dark Knight and she's still portrayed as a little socially awkward, though put her in a fight club or a gangster's hideout and she would be completely in her element.
'Birds of Prey' is expected to follow Harley, Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) as they attempt to rescue Cassandra from the vicious Black Mask (Ewan McGregor). But if the Cassandra in the movie is anything like her comic book version, Black Mask might be the one who actually needs saving.
'Birds of Prey' will be arriving in theaters on February 7, 2020.
