If you enjoyed last year’s colorful adaptation of DC Comics’ Birds Of Prey: And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn (2020) then you will be thrilled to hear that Warner Bros is planning a sequel! The major footnote to that reveal is that the sequel will supposedly be dropping one of the first film’s lead characters in favor of bringing everyone else in the supporting cast into the spotlight!
The team over at That Hashtag Show reports that Warner Bros has greenlit a new Birds Of Prey sequel that will follow Jurnee Smollett’s Black Canary from the first film in a direct sequel. Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s The Huntress and Rosie Perez’s Renee Montoya were also mentioned in the recently leaked outline, although none of these cast members are officially confirmed as returning.
The biggest change to the film for this follow-up is that Margot Robbie’s fan-favorite Harley Quinn will be sitting this one out! Actress Margot Robbie’s profile has also risen considerably in the years since she first took on the role of Harley Quinn, so her not being in the sequel could also be an easy way to cut costs. This would also explain why Robbie has been fairly open in the media about not having any updates for a sequel, as she isn’t involved in whatever Warner Bros is planning.
Considering that the end of the first film saw Harley effectively abandoning her new teammates in favor of taking the money and running, it would make sense that the rest of the Birds Of Prey would move on without her. Harley was never a major player on the team in the comics either, so this could be a sign that Warner is leaning towards a more comic-accurate sequel.
Speaking of comic accuracy, one major player from the Birds Of Prey comic book series that missed the last film is said to be appearing, this time around with Batgirl joining the mix! While casting has not been mentioned, it is thought that Batgirl (2022) star Leslie Grace will likely continue to play the role following her debut solo film on HBO Max next year.
Warner Bros is supposedly eyeing The Calculator for the film’s lead villain, which certainly sounds like a low profile choice after the last film brought us the live-action debut of The Black Mask. The Calculator might also make sense if Batgirl is making an appearance, considering the comic book version of the character has an obsession with the heroine’s secret identity Barbara Gordon.
Little to no plot details are currently available, with the film only recently having been greenlit by the studio and a script yet to be written. No director or cast has been confirmed at this time, with only the characters that Warner Bros plans on using having leaked. Considering that there is a Black Canary streaming series in development and Batgirl’s solo film is set to drop next year, it is entirely likely that this eventual Birds Of Prey sequel could be at least three years off.
While it is disappointing that Margot Robbie’s Harley is going to be missing-in-action this time around, it is great to hear that Warner Bros has enough faith in Birds Of Prey to let some of its support cast shine even brighter and lead the sequel. We barely spent any time with The Huntress in the first film, and both Renee Montoya and Black Canary still seemed relegated to the background for most of the movie, so it will be great to bring them all front and center. The addition of Batgirl also means we have the original core team of the Birds Of Prey comics leading the film, which is an accomplishment in itself.
Are you excited that Birds Of Prey is getting a sequel? Or are you more disappointed that it won’t bring us more Harley Quinn (even though we just saw her in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad (2021))? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below and be sure to stick around Geek Anything for more updates on Birds Of Prey!
