Birds of Prey Costume Designer Explains Why Black Canary's Costume Looks So Different

Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) has gotten interesting reactions from DC fans, with many not knowing how to feel about the costumes. After all, we're in an age of superhero movies looking more like their source material, with some fans not being big on the movie heroines' looks, especially the one for Black Canary.

During an interviewer with ScreenRant, Birds of Prey costume designer Erin Benach revealed why we wouldn't be seeing Jurnee Smollett-Bell in the comic character's default attire. Aside from the fact that it's a bit impractical compared to what she wears in the movie, this new costume actually speaks a lot about her character. There are also some subtle references to her classic look, like the blue/yellow combination that Dinah Lance is often known for.

Here's Benach's defense for the new costume, which actually isn't too bad:

We really did say, 'Okay, her black fishnets are one of her key elements.' So we looked at that and said, 'Okay great. How can we turn that into something that she would wear on a stage performing, as a performer, for reals? What would a performer do? So we really tried to interpret it that way. Then her other looks, her day looks, you'll see that we tried to do the same thing. We took her color palette of blue and black and yellow, and we did something there that is very similar. We said, 'Okay, what would a badass woman in a city wear that's real clothes? That's not a stretchy suit, you know? And keep it in character.

Personally, I don't mind the new costume of Black Canary since all comic book movies change their heroes/villains' looks in some ways. Still, fans are split on this and it will be up to the movie, along with Smollett-Bell's performance, to win them over completely. Here's hoping for positive reviews.

Birds of Prey is currently scheduled for a February 7, 2020, release.

Read:New Birds of Prey Trailer Debuts During The Game Awards