DC's live-action universe is a fascinating places, with news constantly breaking about the comic book franchise. While Warner Bros. continues to announce additional projects like the developing Plastic Man movie, there are a handful of blockbusters that are actively moving forward, including an official release date. In addition to Aquaman and Shazam!, the Birds of Prey movie is coming together, with the full title actually revealed to be Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of one Harley Quinn).
The subtitle is something that fans didn't expect, and shows how much the upcoming blockbuster will focus on Margot Robbie's fan favorite Harley Quinn. Writer Christina Hodson recently opened up about Birds of Prey's title, and how the parentheses was ultimately added to the project, saying:
I don't know if I'm officially allowed to say, but there's no reason why not. It was an unofficial aka, when I wrote the script. I added it about a year or so ago, almost exactly as it is, just as an aka. I didn't think we'd ever use it. We'd always used a working title, so I just had it as a cheeky little thing, on the front cover. And then, when we were talking about a title and brainstorming, we all kept drifting back to that one.
Well, isn't that an interesting story. It turns out that Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of one Harley Quinn) actually began as a bit of a joke, as Cathy Yan's upcoming DC flick was being developed. And while it was originally a placeholder, the subtitle ended up being the winner for the production team of Birds of Prey.
Christina Hodson's comments to Collider are fascinating, and show how organically the Birds of Prey movie seems to be coming together. While certain superhero movies are born out of need and obligation, Birds of Prey seemed to take form a bit more naturally. Director Cathy Yan has been assembling her cast and crew, and it seems that Hodson and company tried to keep it simple when it came to the title. That is, by making it as complicated as possible.
Birds of Prey's subtitle helps to set the tone of the upcoming project, which is also rumored to be aiming at an R rating. The rating and focus on mob related characters like Black Mask and Huntress made the project sound like more of a drama, but Harley Quinn's inclusion will change that.
As the title says, Birds of Prey will also focus on Harley's emancipation, serving as a spinoff to continue her narrative from Suicide Squad. Is he leaving The Joker behind? We'll have to wait and see. The not-so-dynamic duo were also announced for their own movie, although DC's overall schedule and road map continues to be a mystery for moviegoers.
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 trips to the movies in the New Year.
