'Birds of Prey' sets the stage for multiple sequels featuring Harley Quinn, Black Canary and others
Spoiler alert for 'Birds of Prey (and The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)'
Cathy Yan's much-awaited 'Birds of Prey' movie, starring Margot Robbie, is finally here and it's absolutely fantabulous (as the title suggests). The film is a gamechanger for superhero movies and to make things even better, the movie also sets up the possibility of multiple sequels.
Before we get into the sequel opportunities, a small disclaimer. Unlike most films in the genre, 'Birds of Prey' doesn't have a post-credits scene that sets up a future movie. What it does have, however, are a bunch of insanely cool characters who could each handle a movie of their own.
By the end of the film, the protagonists split into two groups: Black Canary / Dinah Lance (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), Helena Bertinelli / Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) become the titular Birds of Prey and start a three-woman crusade against crime in Gotham while Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) and Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) take off on their own adventures. So in other words, the movie leaves space for both another 'Birds of Prey' movie and a 'Harley Quinn' movie.
Both of these potential spin-offs could become massive franchises in their own right. But that said, the best thing about 'Birds of Prey' is that it doesn't expend too much effort setting up future films at the cost of creating a bad first one (we're looking at you 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice').
'Birds of Prey (and The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)' is already an excellent standalone film. The fact that it creates the possibility of more stories to come without leaving itself incomplete just makes it a whole lot better in our book.
'Birds of Prey' was released in theaters on February 7.