Despite her relatively short life as a major part of DC Canon, first appearing in Batman: The Animated Series in 1992, Harley Quinn is considered to be, after the Big 3, one of the most profitable and popular DC characters—hence she has shown up a lot in recent film and television, but we aren’t out of the Harley-fever just yet.
According to DCEU Mythic, there are rumors from alleged sources that Warner Bros. has “begun very early talks and discussions about what the next big-screen Harley project will be. There’s absolutely no word yet on exactly what the project is, although I’m sure fans are crossing their fingers for Gotham City Sirens.”
Personally, I’m always going to root for the Birds of Prey to get their own proper movie outside of Harley, and maybe that will still happen, but after seeing Margot Robbie’s latest performance with that group, it is the one time I can say I’m genuinely interested in seeing where it goes.
Just this year, we had Harley in Birds of Prey, and her DC Universe animated series that started last year has continued to be successful. Allegedly next August, we will see her again in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. This means that, at the very least, WB’s execs understand that Harley is a force of nature and she is worth investing in.
What will matter to me, in the long run, is who will be behind the scenes writing Harley. When you look at Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey, there is a clear difference in how the character is presented—not just in attire, but in the way she talks to people, her politics, and her fighting style. In fact, one of the biggest reasons I love Harley in BOP is that she has a clear fighting style that incorporates her personality and her gymnastic background, and doesn’t overly rely on her doing the same gun-fu and hurricana moves that are part of every female “superhero” in media right now.
When I listen to non-comic book fans talk about Harley Quinn, it’s clear that many are often uncertain about who she is because so much of her persona and marketing is wrapped around her being a “crazy” hot clown girl who wears Dollskill/Hot Topic attire. (No shade. Me too.) Now that Harley has been strongly established as being in a post-Joker/Harley mindset, I’m hoping that whatever she does next just allows her to be the cool character she can be when the writers get it right.
A live-action version of “Harley and Ivy” from the Batman: Animated Series is a great place to start.
(via DCEU Mythic, image: Warner Bros.)
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