Rosie Perez to Play Renee Montoya in DC Comics’ ‘Birds of Prey’ Film

DC Comics fans are in for a treat. This summer, it was announced that an all-heroine squad including Black Canary, Huntress, Cassandra Cain and Renee Montoya would be joining Harley Quinn in the upcoming DC/Warner Bros. film, Birds of Prey. While no hints were dropped on the leading ladies who would play the heroines, executive producer Margot Robbie expressed interest in diversifying the cast. Well, it looks like Robbie has kept her word.

News surfaced from The Wrap on Wednesday that Academy Award nominee Rosie Perez will join the cast as Renee Montoya, a Gotham City cop-turned-vigilante who adopted the masked identity of the Question in the comics. Montoya, a lesbian, is a character that has blazed new trails, becoming one of DC’s more pronounced LGBTQ characters in the 2000s.

Perez joins Robbie, who returns to her Suicide Squad role as Harley Quinn; Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who will play Huntress, and Jurnee Smollett-Bell set to play Black Canary.

The casting of Perez as Montoya has received mixed reviews with some expressing her age as an issue.

can people make up their minds? when actresses reach a certain age they don't get the same opportunities but when they get cast y'all say they're too old for the part🤔

— nicole | 7/22 + 7/23 🩵 (@turningpagemp3) October 4, 2018

Although DC positions Monotya as younger than Perez is now, the Do The Right Thing actress is known to deliver and fans are excited for the Boriqua actress.

https://twitter.com/LolaWhiffen/status/1047963195569332224

Good morning from our Rene Montoya #BirdsOfPrey @rosieperezbklyn https://t.co/z2zREG3zBg

— 🎈 ﾌ乇ㄥ卂几| 山|ㄥㄥ|卂爪丂 🎈 (@jelani82) October 5, 2018

Wonder If #BirdsOfPrey Is Gonna Have Some Dancing Scenes 💃@WBHomeEnt @DCComics @rosieperezbklyn @MargotRobbie pic.twitter.com/anBaW3BrIP

— The Amazing Turnip Girl 🐀 (@TATG_Kairi) October 5, 2018

Birds of Prey will be directed by Cathy Yan, with the script by Batgirl writer Christina Hodson.

The casting of Perez, an Afro-Latina, is a major deal not just for comic book fans but Latinas who so often consume and contribute to nerd culture, but don’t see themselves consistently reflected. While some may not know it, you can find Latinas in comic books that span back to the ‘80s. Perez is just ushering in a new wave of badass Latina superheroines on the big screen, and we’ll all be able to watch her in theaters in February 2020.