'Birds of Prey', which just hired DC's first non-white director, may see more diverse casting
Fan-favorite Harley Quinn will soon be back in what could be DC's first all-female anti-hero flick, 'Birds of Prey'. Inspired by the comics series that from time to time has featured a slew of heroine/villainess including popular names like Batgirl, Huntress, and Black Canary, the film is also poised to be a benchmark of a lot of firsts the most recent being the addition of director Cathy Yan, the first Asian to helm a DC movie.
In fact, if franchise star Margot Robbie — who famously brought the psychotic character to life in 2016's 'Suicide Squad' — has it her way, she would even ensure that the crew of actors/actresses co-starring with her in the 'Birds of Prey' movie is diverse.
“Yep, yes exactly, real life isn’t so one specific image. We’ve got to reflect that onscreen,” Robbie recently told Yahoo news, dishing her ideas for the movie, which she will also be producing. Centered on an ever-changing line-up of some of the most famous female characters in DC, the Birds of Prey movie is yet to fix its other leads. As a result, everything is up for speculation at the moment.
One may assume, going by the vast catalog of DC heroines and villainy, that names such as Catwoman, Hawkgirl, Power Girl, Poison Ivy, Vixen, and Katana (played by Karen Fukuhara in 'Suicide Squad') might even pop up for the "R-rated girl gang movie". Regardless, all eyes will continue to be on the lead, Harley Quinn, who under Robbie's skillful iteration will hopefully turn heads once again but in an avatar hitherto unseen.
Teasing a brand new look for her anti-heroine, the Australian actress said, "The costumes haven’t been designed yet but yes she’ll have new looks. There will be new Halloween costumes out there, one day.”
With a barrage of projects in the docket, it goes without saying that DC/Warner Bros have their plate full at the moment. After the release of Aquaman (in December), the studio is bound to shift focus on their big-budget sequel, 'Wonder Woman 1984'. Following which, it's expected that the 'Birds of Prey' movie will also begin production, sometime in January 2019.
The confirmation comes right from the horse's mouth as speaking to Flickering Myth Robbie set a timeline for the filming of her women-centric spinoff and also teased how the film will be "different" than any other DC blockbusters, with an R-rated plot and a "much smaller budget".
At present, 'Birds of Prey' is yet to be slated for release. Hopefully, more information will pour in once DC/Warner Bros take the Hall H panel at SDCC later this month.
