Margot Robbie has revealed the first title of the upcoming Suicide Squad spin-off movie, to focus on the DC Universe’s female anti-heroes. The film will be called Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), perhaps a play on the title of the Oscar-winning 2014 film, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance).
Robbie shared an image of the film’s script on her social media, and teased the release date: February, 2020. Directed by Cathy Yan, the film will focus on the trio of characters, made up of Robbie’s Harley Quinn, Huntress, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Black Canary, played by Jurnee Smollett-Bell.
The film will also star Rosie Perez as Gotham Police Department’s Renee Montoya and Ewan McGregor as the main villain, Black Mask.
Birds of Prey was fast-tracked into production instead of Suicide Squad 2. Another spin-off, to focus on the relationship between Jared Leto’s Joker and Harley, is being planned.
Meanwhile, the DC Extended Universe is in a state of flux, with both Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck no longer likely to reprise their roles as Superman and Batman, respectively. The series will debut a solo Aquaman movie in December, followed by Shazam! in 2019. Wonder Woman 1984 was recently pushed to 2020, in favour of a prime summer release date in June.
Meanwhile, a separate solo film, based on Joker and starring Joaquin Phoenix, will be released during the 2019 Oscar season. The film is expected to kick start another line of DC films, expected to be darker takes on their popular characters.
2016’s Suicide Squad was a commercial hit, but received predominantly negative reviews. Robbie’s performance as Harley Quinn was appreciated, however. The Oscar nominee will next be seen in the historical epic, Mary Queen of Scots. She is also playing the slain actor Sharon Tate for director Quentin Tarantino in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
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First Published: Nov 21, 2018 10:12 IST
