Birds of Prey Sequel Now Happening, Sort Of
A Birds of Prey follow-up is reportedly on the way, but not how you might expect.
This article is more than 2 years old
Ever since we were introduced to the character of Harley Quinn, brilliantly played by Margot Robbie, in 2016’s David Ayer-directed film Suicide Squad, DC fans had been eager to see more of the character. This expectation was somewhat fulfilled by Cathy Yan’s Birds of Prey that majorly focused on a heartbroken Harley after the Joker broke up with her, followed by her recent appearance in 2021’s The Suicide Squad. Many have been hoping for a sequel to Birds of Prey to continue the adventures of the delightfully unhinged Harley Quinn. But a report has emerged that while plans of a sequel are indeed in motion, Robbie’s character is so not the focus of the film.
While Suicide Squad was majorly a Joker film, Birds of Prey centered on Harley Quinn as she went up against Gotham City crime lord Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor) and formed her own team with Helena Bertinelli (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Dinah Lance (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) to save Cassandra Cain, a young pickpocket who steals a valuable diamond from Sionis. Even though the film didn’t perform well commercially, it was immensely praised by critics and Margot Robbie received rave reviews for giving a layered performance as its prime protagonist. But despite it, insider Daniel Richtman has reported that the sequel to the film is instead a Black Canary project with Jurnee Smollett-Bell returning to reprise the vigilante.
While Harley was indeed the focus of Birds of Prey, its story gave ample attention to its other equally enchanting characters, especially Smollett-Bell’s Dinah Lance a.k.a. Black Canary who possesses the metahuman ability to emit hypersonic screams. In the 2020 film, she is seen working for Sionis before joining forces with Harley Quinn. And if Richtman’s report holds water (though he has not backed his information with any proof), Birds of Prey 2 will probably also mark the return of Helena Bertinelli and Renee Montaya as by the end of the first film the trio had formed their own team of vigilantes.
Alhough it would be better to take this news with a grain of salt as in the past, both Cathy Yan and James Gunn have given every indication that they are planning to bring back another Harley Quinn-centered adventure. After the release of Birds of Prey in 2020, Yan had shared in an interview with The Wrap that the next film will feature the fan-favorite dynamic that Harley Quinn shared with Poison Ivy in both the comics and the animated series on HBO Max. Even though Birds of Prey wasn’t exactly the blockbuster it was envisioned to be, Yan was sure that neither Harley Quinn’s fans, nor Margot Robbie want the story of the anti-heroine to end any time soon.
Earlier this year, even James Gunn had confirmed on Instagram that he is indeed in discussions with Robbie to bring back Harley Quinn for another project, though he didn’t confirm whether he meant Birds of Prey 2 or a sequel to his recently released The Suicide Squad. Anyway, the fact remains that even if Warner Bros. is indeed planning to focus on the Black Canary in the next Birds of Prey, we can rest assured that Harley Quinn isn’t going anywhere for the foreseeable future.
