Over the past few months, we’ve regularly heard how Warner Brothers were now prioritising Birds of Prey, and now comes word that the picture could start shooting as early as January.
Birds of Prey will see Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn joined by some of DC Comics’ most (in)famous female characters in what is already being pegged as an R-rated movie. Speaking to Flickering Myth, Robbie herself revealed that planned January start date for filming, and she also added that the effort will be made on a far smaller budget than what we’ve seen in the DC Extended Universe to date.
Robbie – who will also produce Birds of Prey – explained to Fandom the sort of vibe she’s trying to create with the movie, stating, “I will say that there are a lot of unexplored DC female characters who are unique and complicated and dark and funny and exciting – and not just for their superpowers. Actually, the ones that excite me most don’t have superpowers at all but they have, y’know, pretty great backstories and all could kind of live in the world with Harley and create this cool dynamic. I mean all my girlfriends, we’re a huge girl gang and we’re not all the same person; everyone’s very different. I guess I was really trying to put that on screen, the way we exist in everyday life as a big girl gang. Why can’t we watch that in films more?”
With Dead Pigs’ Cathy Yan now in the director’s chair, Birds of Prey has been pushed ahead of Gavin O’Connor’s Suicide Squad sequel, with David Ayer’s Gotham City Sirens and that Harley/Joker romance film seemingly put on the backburner for now.
For those unfamiliar with the Birds of Prey team, they’re a female group of heroes from the DC realm, with names such as Barbara Gordon, Black Canary, Huntress, Catwoman, Lady Blackhawk, Katana, and, yes, Harley Quinn having made-up its ranks at points over the years. Initially, the plan for the film was to see Harley as the villain of the piece, but those plans have seemingly changed after the character got such a positive response in Suicide Squad.
Up next for Margot Robbie is playing Sharon Tate in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
