Margot Robbie Spearheads Proposed Harley Quinn Movie With More Female DC Comics Characters: Report
Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn in ‘Suicide Squad’ (Warner Bros.)
By Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter
Months ahead of the opening of Suicide Squad, Warner Bros. is already contemplating a spin-off for the DC Entertainment anti-heroine, Harley Quinn.
Margot Robbie, who stars as the villainess in Suicide Squad, is attached to reprise the character and would also produce the untitled spin-off, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
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But in an interesting twist, the project is not a Quinn solo movie. Rather, it would focus on several of DC’s female heroes and villains.
Details are being closely guarded but names such as Batgirl and Birds of Prey have surfaced, although in what capacity, it’s not clear. Warner Bros. isn’t commenting.
There is also a scribe penning the script but those details, too, are being kept secret, although it is known that the writer is female.
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DC has a very strong stable of heroines and villainesses and has been focusing on those characters with the rise of its female readership and fanbase. It recently introduced DC SuperHero Girls, a line of comics and products targeting the young female demographic. The characters getting the spotlight include Quinn, Batgirl, Batman villainess Poison Ivy, Katana (Quinn’s fellow member of the Suicide Squad), and Bumblebee, who can fly and shrink.
Sources say that Robbie was the impetus for the project, adding that when she got the part for the movie, she dove deep into the comics to learn as much as possible on the character. In the process, she fell for DC’s female characters. She brought on the writer to help develop the project and brought it to Warners, which snapped it up.
A Quinn-centered movie is a no-brainer for Warners. The character was created by writer Paul Dini and was initially a sidekick and girlfriend to the Joker. But to the surprise of many, she caught the imagination of fans, who have propelled her to star status. While she may not have the stature and deep roots of DC’s Wonder Woman, Quinn’s books outsell the Amazonian’s and her merchandise is also a top seller.
Related: From Zero to Anti-Hero: How Harley Quinn Went From Girlfriend to ‘Suicide Squad’ Star
The character has some similarities to Marvel’s Deadpool in that they both break the fourth wall and have nihilistic streaks, with their stories being wacky fun.
Robbie is well-established at Warners for whom she previously starred with Will Smith in 2015 caper flick Focus and plays Jane in this summer’s The Legend of Tarzan. She is repped by CAA, Management 360, Jackoway Tyerman.
Watch Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn in the first ‘Suicide Squad’ international trailer:
