Anna Daniels
Birds of Prey and The Gentlemen getting early VOD releases!
In the wake of Universal announcing multiple films currently in theaters will be heading to digital platforms early, Warner Bros. and STX Entertainment have chosen to follow suit and reveal that the DECU’s Birds of Prey and Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen will both be getting similar treatment as they debut on VOD next week, according to Fandango!
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Both films, which hit theaters on January 24 and February 7, were originally scheduled for digital releases in mid-April, but both studios have elected to take notes from Universal’s decision to release The Hunt and The Invisible Man and move up the releases to March 24, with pre-orders for the well-received Margot Robbie-led comic book effort and the Guy Ritchie crime thriller already available on FandangoNow.
Margot Robbie reprises her Suicide Squad role of Harley Quinn in the film, which also stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress, Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Black Canary, Ella Jay Basco as Cassandra Cain, Ewan McGregor as the villain Black Mask, Chris Messina as Victor Zsasz and Rosie Perez as Renee Montoya. Ali Wong (Fresh Off the Boat), Robert Catrini (American Crime Story), Steven Williams (IT) and Derek Wilson (Preacher) round out the ensemble.
Cathy Yan (Dead Pigs) directed the spin-off, making her the first female Asian director to helm a superhero film. The script was penned by Christina Hodson (Bumblebee).
In the DC Comics, the Birds of Prey are a mostly female superhero team has included Oracle/Batgirl, Black Canary, Huntress, Catwoman, Hawkgirl, Power Girl, Poison Ivy, Vixen, and Katana, who was played by Karen Fukuhara in Suicide Squad. A short-lived live-action TV series titled Birds of Prey aired on The WB from 2002-to-2003 for 13 episodes, starring Ashley Scott as Huntress, Dina Meyer as Barbara Gordon/Oracle, Ian Abercrombie as Alfred Pennyworth and Mia Sara as Harley Quinn.
The Gentlemen (formerly titled Toff Guys) follows American ex-pat Mickey Pearson (McConaughey) who built a highly profitable marijuana empire in London. When word gets out that he’s looking to cash out of the business forever it triggers plots, schemes, bribery, and blackmail in an attempt to steal his domain out from under him Ritchie’s signature visual cocktail will be served with an abundance of fun. Ritchie wrote the script with Marn Davies and Ivan Atkinson.
The film stars Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club), Hugh Grant (Four Wedding and a Funeral), Collin Farrell (Widows), Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians), Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey), Charlie Hunnam (Pacific Rim), Jeremy Strong (Succession) and Eddie Marsan (Sherlock Holmes). The Gentlemen also features Lyne Renee, Chris Evangelou, Eugenia Kuzmina, and Jason Wong.
The film is scheduled to hit theaters on January 24, 2020.
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Ritchie is coming off from the massive blockbuster success of his live-action adaptation of Disney’s Aladdin which grossed more than $1 billion worldwide. His other notable film credits include Sherlock Holmes films, Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
Written by: CS
