It may not have been met with the best critical reception, but 2016’s Suicide Squad was definitely a commercial winner for Warner Bros, and the studio is keen on keeping the property alive. The sequel, officially titled The Suicide Squad, is being written and directed by former Marvel Cinematic Universe contributor James Gunn. Earlier this week, word came out that Harley Quinn, one of the main characters from the first Suicide Squad movie, would not return for The Suicide Squad, but it appears that is no longer likely to be the case.
Forbes has updated its original reporting on Margot Robbie’s future as Harley Quinn in the DC Extended Universe, as sources close to the production have said that Harley will indeed be present for The Suicide Squad, which is expected to begin production later this year. While this doesn’t constitute official confirmation, given that Harley was one of the most popular elements of Suicide Squad and that Margot Robbie is reprising the character for next year’s Birds of Prey, it does make sense that she would be brought back for The Suicide Squad, if only to establish at least one connective thread between this sequel and its predecessor.
Rather than being a direct sequel to Suicide Squad, The Suicide Squad is reportedly going to be a “relaunch” rather than a direct sequel. This will give Gunn the opportunity to carve out his own vision for the property, and will supposedly result in a lot of new lead characters being brought in. However, assuming this latest update is true, then Harley Quinn will be back for another round of Task Force X action on the big screen, which makes sense given that she’s been one of the Squad’s frequent members since the New 52 reboot in 2011. If I were a betting man, I’d also place odds on Will Smith and Viola Davis reprising Deadshot and Amanda Waller, respectively, in The Suicide Squad as well, but that remains to be seen.
When we last saw Harley Quinn at the end of Suicide Squad, she was being broken out of Belle Reve by The Joker. Judging by the early looks at Birds of Prey, it appears the jestress and the Clown Prince of Crime have since broken up, and the eight DC Extended Universe movie will see Harley teaming up with Huntress, Black Canary and Renee Montoya to protect the young Cassandra Cain, who’s being hunted down by Black Mask because she finds a diamond belonging to the crime world.
It will be a while until we learn how that movie ends, but evidently afterwards, Harley will end up being incarcerated again if she’s going to appear in The Suicide Squad. If Harley will indeed be accompanied by new teammates, it will be interesting to see how her dynamic with them compares to how she was with the previous Squad. It should also be noted that as things stand now, Harley is not expected to appear in Gotham City Sirens, and the Joker/Harley Quinn movie is dead.
You can see Harley Quinn back on the big screen when Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is released in theaters on February 7, 2020, and The Suicide Squad will follow on August 6, 2021.
