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Chris Messina to Play ‘Birds of Prey’ Villain Victor Zsasz!

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While we’ve already seen the character appear in “Gotham” (shown above with Anthony Carrigan in the role), DC Comics supervillain Victor Zsasz is set to be one of the antagonists in Birds of Prey.

Chris Messina, pictured below in “Sharp Objects”, will play the sadistic serial killer who carves a tally mark onto himself for each of his victims, reveals Deadline. Zsasz will be working in cahoots with Ewan McGregor’s lead bad guy Black Mask.

Messina joins Margot Robbie who is reprising her role as Harley Quinn, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead is playing Huntress while Jurnee Smollett-Bell will play Black Canary.

ALSO READ: Margot Robbie Promises That Birds of Prey Won’t Be Taking Itself Too Seriously

As the site notes, the character of Zsasz was first introduced in Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1 in June 1992 as part of Batman: The Last Arkham series. Zsasz’s origin story took place in 1996’s Batman Chronicles #3. He was the head of his own international company, a rich guy who is still rich from his family’s fortune. At 25, his parents die in a boating accident and plummets into a deep depression losing himself in gambling, and ultimately everything to the Penguin. He tries to commit suicide, but after killing a homeless man, he becomes addicted to killing and is known for slitting his victims’ throats and leaving them in lifelike poses, while adding a tally mark to himself each time. He’s routinely incarcerated in Arkham Asylum.

In addition today, Warner Bros. announced the rest of those cast in Birds of Prey, keeping their roles largely under wraps including Steven Williams (The Chi), Derek Wilson, Dana Lee (Dr. Ken), Francois Chau (The Expanse, The Tick), Matthew Willig (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs), Ali Wong and Robert Catrini.

Cathy Yun is directing Birds of Prey from Christina Hodson’s screenplay.

The DC movie opens on Feb. 7, 2020.

Horror movie fanatic who co-founded Bloody Disgusting in 2001. Producer on Southbound, V/H/S/2/3/94, SiREN, Under the Bed, and A Horrible Way to Die. Chicago-based. Horror, pizza and basketball connoisseur. Taco Bell daily. Franchise favs: Hellraiser, Child's Play, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Scream and Friday the 13th. Horror 365 days a year.

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‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

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Witchblade cover

Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.

Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.

In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”

The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (AnimosityBatwomanDC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide SquadPower RangersRed Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”

Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”

“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.

Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”

Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.

  • Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover

  • Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)

  • Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)

  • Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)

  • Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)

  • Cover H (1/250): Line art by Marc. Virgin Cover, Inks (B/W)

Witchblade #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

Witchblade comic panel Witchblade #1 cover image

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