New concept art from Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) reveals the original design for Black Mask. Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn first appeared in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad in 2016. While the film was poorly received, Robbie’s portrayal of Joker’s right-hand gal was praised, paving the way for her solo movie. Instead of focusing on the Joker, however, Harley Quinn is front and center going up against another villain: Black Mask.
Black Mask was rumored to be the villain in August 2018, only for Ewan McGregor to be cast a few months later. The character made his debut in 1985 and is mostly known for being one of Batman’s most sadistic villains. Birds of Prey‘s depiction of Black Mask is similar to the comic books, with the main difference being that Roman Sionis is able to take his mask off in the film. The mask looks a bit different in the movie for this reason, but the original design for Black Mask also looked very different.
Concept artist Kyle Brown recently shared his original designs for Black Mask, some of which look very different from the finished product. The first image below resembles more of the comic book version of Black Mask, while the next two are more stylized versions of the mask. All of Brown’s artwork can be seen on his page on Artstation.
While Black Mask’s story came to an end in Birds of Prey, the film did open the door for a sequel should Warner Bros. chose to make one. There are actually many routes the studio could take, whether it be another Birds of Prey team up, or a solo film focusing on Harley Quinn and her new protege Cassandra Cain. Gotham City Sirens is also still on the table, but despite Robbie Wanting to return for the film, it is currently on hold, according to David Ayer. However, with Birds of Prey doing poorly at the box office, we might not see Harley Quinn in another film except for team-ups with the members of the Suicide Squad.
Not everyone is going to have the same opinion about Black Mask in Birds of Prey, but it’s safe to say that some of the original designs would not have gone over well with fans. While the mask in the movie was a departure from what fans have seen in the pages of comic books, it wasn’t different enough to cause any type of fan backlash. Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) has done rather well with fans and critics, with many praising McGregor’s work as the character. Needless to say, Warner Bros. made a good call on the choice of the character’s mask.
Source: Kyle Brown
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