Cathy Yan To Direct Harley Quinn And The Birds Of Prey
What are we, some kind of superhero spin-off squad?
DC had quite the eventful Tuesday this week, dropping news of Steven Spielberg's upcoming Blackhawks film late on as well as an announcement regarding Birds of Prey, the latest in the ever-growing line of spin-offs starring Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn.
As per Deadline's report, the film has recently found its director. Cathy Yan, who burst onto the indie scene the other year with the critically lauded Dead Pigs (a film situated in Shanghai), is the person in question, and Deadline also mention in the report that Robbie was determined to see the film have a woman director.
This is obviously very important in regards to industry representation, with Yan joining Patty Jenkins and Ava DuVernay in DC's ever growing group of talented female filmmakers. The film itself, however, also poses some interesting questions - namely, what does this bode for David Ayer's long-gestating Gotham City Sirens, and what of the other Harley spin-offs too?
According to this same report, Birds of Prey will not be replacing either. Warner Bros. are evidently invested in the Harley hype, especially seeing as how the actual Birds of Prey comic didn't actually feature the character as a recurring member. That particular team, penned most famously by Gail Simone in the early 2000s, featured an ensemble comprised of DC's finest superheroines, including Black Canary, Huntress, and the first Batgirl - Barbara Gordon - as Oracle.
One thing to note here is that no release date has been given, and with the Sirens movie reportedly moving ahead along with Batgirl (which parted with Joss Whedon just the other month), there is a chance that Birds of Prey could become a crossover of sorts, bridging Gotham's femme-fatales with their heroic counterparts.
But what do you think of this latest Harley spin-off? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!