2016’s Suicide Squad may have received a critical response on par with finding a lump of dog shit on your shoe, but it still made a whole bunch of money. One of the few positively received aspects of the whole affair was Margot Robbie’s take on Harley Quinn, the Joker’s on again/off again girlfriend. This, perhaps, is not too surprising, though.
After all, Quinn has been a fan favorite since her debut on Batman: The Animated Series way back in 1992, before transferring to the DC Universe proper and subsequently appearing in all manner of Batman projects. Now, in the wake of the catastrophe that was Justice League, Warner Bros. are eager to capitalize on this success, and have no less than three projects in various stages of development that all circle around Robbie’s Quinn.
First up is the most obvious, Suicide Squad 2. Word is that Warner Bros. are excited to get the gang back together for a sequel and that they’re waiting for Will Smith to wrap production on clone thriller Gemini Man before scheduling production proper. Gavin O’Connor is lined up to direct, with persistent rumors that the movie is also set to debut Dwayne Johnson’s eagerly awaited take on Black Adam.
The next project is Birds of Prey. That title will be familiar to DC Comics fans, as it’s been used for a variety of female-centric Batman hero and villain lineups ever since 1995. The comic book team roster tends to change a bit, but generally includes Batgirl, Black Canary and Huntress, with stalwarts like Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Katana, Hawkgirl and (you guessed it) Harley Quinn also showing up. Screenwriter Christina Hodson is apparently prepping a script, after which production may proceed in earnest.
Finally, we have Joker vs. Harley, billed as a screwball ‘love story’ in the vein of Mr. and Mrs. Smith – in which the two chemical bath crossed romantics will try to murder one another in all kinds of imaginative ways. Crazy, Stupid Love helmers Glenn Ficarra and John Requa are attached to write and direct, with Jared Leto and Margot Robbie reprising their Suicide Squad roles.
Personally, my favorite is that last one. I’m a big fan of superhero movies branching out into other genres and a bizarre and violent romantic comedy starring the Joker sounds like my cup of tea. Either way, it looks like short of an asteroid hitting Hollywood, we’re definitely going to be seeing a lot more Harley Quinn in cinemas very soon. And that’s perfectly fine with us.