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The DC live-action universe has had its share of highs and lows, but there's one character that Warner Bros. is putting serious stock in: Harley Quinn. Margot Robbie's hilarious villain debuted in David Ayer's Suicide Squad, and she'll reprise her role in that movie's sequel, as well as Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). Robbie is also a producer on the upcoming blockbuster, and she recently explained why she loves playing the character so much. Harley Quinn was the clear scene stealer in Suicide Squad, and one of the aspects of that villain-centric movie that really worked. Birds of Prey began development shortly thereafter, and Margot Robbie will play Harley for the third in in James Gunn's reinvention The Suicide Squad. Clearly she's got a relationship with the character, recently sharing why she's so much fun to play. As Robbie put it,
Sounds about right. While playing the same character over and over again might be repetitive for some, Harley Quinn's nature won't let that happen. She's unpredictable and psychotic, so her narrative possibilities feel endless. Margot Robbie's comments to Variety explains why the Once Upon A Time in Hollywood actress has spent so much time with Harley Quinn. She brings something unique as a comic book character, largely because she's a non-superpowered villain. She's also mentally unstable, and suffers from psychotic delusions. Harley's headspace is a wild place to be in, and one that will keep Robbie on her toes for the foreseeable future. While Harley was a highlight of Suicide Squad, audiences should get a deeper look into Harley's mind with Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). As the long subtitle suggests, the upcoming movie is told largely through her perspective. The trailer teased something over the top and colorful, including a Marilyn Monroe inspired musical number for Margo Robbie's femme fatale. Related: Margot Robbie Explains Why Birds Of Prey Will Be More Important For Harley Quinn Than Suicide Squad In addition to starring in Birds of Prey, Margot Robbie is also a producer on the project. Her production company LuckyChap Entertainment is listed below DC Films, so clearly she's been intimately involved in the crafting of the blockbuster. In fact, Robbie recently explained how Cathy Yan's vision was what got her the directing gig. It's been a few years since Harley Quinn was on the big screen, so DC fans are no doubt excited for Birds of Prey's release next month. The movie will give her a set of female friends, including iconic characters like Black Canary, Huntress, Renee Montoya, and Cassandra Cain. Additionally, it'll pit her against Gotham City villains Black Mask and Victor Zsasz. Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) will arrive in theaters on February 7th. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
Four years after first playing Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad, Margot Robbie is about to return to the character in Birds of Prey, which will give her a new girl gang of superheroes to hang out with. The team includes actors Rosie Perez, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Jurnee Smollett-Bell joining the Wolf of Wall Street star. They will be facing off against a very flamboyant Ewan McGregor, playing the nefarious crime boss Black Mask. Who stars in Birds of Prey?Margot Robbie in "Birds of Prey"DCBest of Newsweek via email Harley Quinn - Margot RobbieSince fans last saw the character in Suicide Squad, Harley Quinn has broken up with The Joker (played by Jared Leto), while Robbie herself has been nominated for two Oscars for I, Tonya and Bombshell. Speaking to Collider, Robbie said of the character's evolution: "Suicide Squad, the first film, was Harley's co-dependence with The Joker, and obviously he has a huge influence on her. But obviously, she was very much in a relationship with him when we first saw Harley on screen in Suicide Squad. "I did want to explore what is the version of Harley out of a relationship, and whether she's out of the relationship on her own accord or if he kind of kicked her to the curb. It still affects her, but in a very different way, and I thought we'd see a very different facet of her personalities." Rosie Perez in "Birds of Prey"DCRenee Montoya - Rosie PerezRenee Montoya is a Gotham City Police Detective determined to stop the constant crime in the city. She is also set to be the first out LGBTQ+ character in the DC cinematic universe. DC fans will know that in the comics, she becomes the masked investigator The Question, which could be set up for a future film. Speaking about her character on The View, a show she used to co-host, Oscar nominee and Do the Right Thing actor Rosie Perez called her "a strong woman who is tenacious, had a high moral code but was also complicated and flawed." Mary Elizabeth Winstead in "Birds of Prey"DCHelena Bertinelli / The Huntress - Mary Elizabeth Winstead10 Cloverfield Lane and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World's Mary Elizabeth Winstead is The Huntress, an orphaned daughter of a mob boss turned vigilante. Though fans may notice some differences between the comic version and the Birds of Prey version of the character, Winstead told Screen Rant that her essence remains the same. She said: "The spirit of who Huntress is, is the same, to me, as what I've read in the comics. The history that she's been through, the pain that she's been through—all that born into creating this persona of Huntress, who's this vigilante who is going to bring these people to justice, and how sort of laser-focused she is on that and how she sort of doesn't really relate well to the outside world because of what she's been through." Jurnee Smollett-Bell in "Birds of Prey"DCDinah Lance / Black Canary - Jurnee Smollett-BellDinah Lance (who DC fans saw played by Alex Kingston in Arrow) is a nightclub singer and another vigilante, though she has the added benefit of being able to emit hypersonic screams that have given her the nickname Black Canary. Jurnee Smollett-Bell, known for True Blood and Friday Night Lights, said of the character to Marie Claire: "In the film, we're meeting Black Canary before she actually becomes Black Canary, in the sense that she hasn't really owned her power. She's struggling with the gift she has. She struggles with the fact that she has a gift that she doesn't want to own. To me, that's something I can honestly just relate to." Ella Jay Basco (left) in "Birds of Prey"DCCassandra Cain - Ella Jay BascoCassandra Cain, who comics fans will know may become Batgirl in a future movie, is a jewel thief who has a hit placed on her by the film's main villain. She is played by 13-year-old Ella Jay Basco, previously seen in episodes of Veep and Grey's Anatomy. Speaking to ANCX, she said: "She's a street girl without a family or a home, so she's both really misguided and super independent. She has had to fight to survive in this world, until she meets Harley Quinn." Ewan McGregor and Chris Messina in "Birds of Prey"DCRoman Sionis / Black Mask - Ewan McGregorRoman is a ruthless crime boss with an obsession with masks who the Birds of Prey find themselves at odds with, played by Golden Globe winner (for Fargo) Ewan McGregor. The Moulin Rouge actor told Gamespot: "He has to be in absolute control. He's insane when he's not in control. We only see him in his club, in his car, in his apartment—or at the end when he's running around. But really I feel like we only ever see him in places he controls. And then Harley comes into this world and she's uncontrollable. It drives him mad. He hates it." Victor Zsasz - Chris MessinaRoman's closest ally is the brutal killer Victor Zsasz, known for carving his skin every time he claims another victim. The character is portrayed by Sharp Objects and The Mindy Project star Chris Messina. In a Variety interview, McGregor hinted that the relationship between Roman and Victor may be more than professional. He said: "It's very complicated. Their relationship is very much based...there's a want and a need in there for sure." Ellen Yee - Ali WongComedian Ali Wong, known for her roles in Always Be My Maybe and American Housewife, rounds out the main Birds of Prey cast as Ellen Yee, the ex-girlfriend of Perez's character. Birds of Prey is in cinemas now. |