After mixed reviews following the release of "Suicide Squad" in 2016, one thing became abundantly clear: Harley Quinn is the favorite among DC Comics' slew of characters. Just a few short months after we learned that a standalone Joker-Harley Quinn movie is happening, Margot Robbie is opening up about the potential for a solo Harley movie that's been in the works for upwards of three years.
“I pitched the idea of an R-rated girl gang film including Harley, because I was like, ‘Harley needs friends,’" Robbie told Collider. "Harley loves interacting with people, so don’t ever make her do a standalone film. She’s got to be with other people, it should be a girl gang. I wasn’t seeing enough girl gangs on screen, especially in the action space. So that was always a big part of it."
"Birds of Prey" director Cathy Yan was already confirmed to direct the film, working from a script written by "Unforgettable" writer Christina Hodson. Robbie said although finding the right director for the film was first priority, having a female director step in was the cherry on top of the project.
“And then of course having a female director to tell that story," Robbie continued. "And giving a female director the chance to do big budget stuff. They always get ‘Here’s the tiny little film’… I was like, ‘I love action. I love action films. I’m a girl. What, are we meant to only like a specific thing?' So it was a hugely important to find a female director for this, if possible. But at the end of the day -- male, female -- the best director gets the job and Cathy was the best director."
"Suicide Squad" writer and director David Ayer was rumored to be creating a "Gotham City Sirens" series and/or movie, though nothing has been said about it since its announcement in 2016. Either way, though, Robbie confirmed that she hasn't been involved in other ventures, and is focusing most of her time on Harley's girl gang.
"Over the course of the next few years, the studio was exploring other Harley Quinn spin-offs," she told Moviefone. "But I was not a part of those versions, I was always focused on this one with Christina… I know that they were exploring ‘Gotham City Sirens’ with David Ayer, and I know they were exploring a Joker and Harley Quinn movie, and they were exploring doing I don’t know what else. I wasn’t a part of those. I was focusing on this. I kept presenting it to the studio until they felt it was at a point where they were ready to do it. And now we’re all in.”
I'm sure most DC fans will agree when I say that Harley Quinn leading a girl gang sounds like a dream come true.