DC may have announced a ton of potential movies, but there are a handful that are actually in active development. The next few releases are coming with Aquaman, Shazam!, Joker, and Wonder Woman 1984, and there's one more project with DC's best coming down the line. Cathy Yan's Birds of Prey will focus on a group of femme fatales, including Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn.
In fact, Harley's role in the upcoming blockbuster is sizable enough that it's mentioned in the subtitle, as it's actually called Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). Harley Co-creator Paul Dini has now given his two cents about the recently announced title, saying:
I love the new movie title because I often have Harley scribble nonsense and wacky thoughts all over things, like her therapist's pad, or my introduction to the Sirens book. So this subtitle reads as classic Quinnsanity to me. One more thing to be thankful about this week.
Well, that's one glowing endorsement. Hardcore comic book fans take the writers' opinions to heart when it comes to live-action adaptations, and Harley Quinn fans are no different. Now all eyes are on what Cathy Yan will do with the group of iconic characters in the movie, especially if its rated R.
Paul Dini's comments come from his Facebook page, and are the latest reason DC fans are getting hyped about the Birds of Prey movie. Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn stole the show in David Ayer's Suicide Squad, helping to keep the movie buoyant, despite its flaws. Warner Bros. is looking to cultivate this character for the audience, bringing her in a variety of developing projects, including one with Jared Leto's Joker.
Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) will be Harley's first appearance away from her chosen family, and likely right into another. While the film's plot remains a mystery, it seems that the fan favorite villain will one again be caught in the crosshairs between good and evil, when vigilantes like Huntress and Black Canary face off against Gotham City mob boss Black Mask.
The title's reference to Harley's emancipation is particularly interesting, as it might indicate big changes for the character in Birds of Prey. Harley began as a sidekick for Joker in Batman: The Animated Series, and quickly became a popular supporting character. From there, Harley made her way to the comics, usually as a hopeless romantic and victim of Joker's abuse. That is, until she gained power with friendships with female characters like Poison Ivy.
If Harley Quinn ends up emancipated from The Joker in Birds of Prey, it would seemingly set up interesting narrative seeds for the Joker/Harley movie to harvest. This would indicate DC is looking at the big picture, and really focusing on serialized storytelling.
Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is currently set to arrive in theaters on February 7th, 2020. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
