Suicide Squad‘s David Ayer is ready for another crack at the DCEU.
The Hollywood Reporter brings word today that the filmmaker is set to reunite with Margot Robbie for the upcoming female-led spinoff movie, Gotham City Sirens. Robbie, who practically stole the show from the remainder of Task Force X earlier in the year, is set to reprise as the inimitable Harley Quinn. The Aussie actress will also executive produce the DC offshoot as well, a duty she’ll now leverage with Ayer. DC head honcho Geoff Johns is also said to be involved.
Set to feature a rogues’ gallery of DC villains – Catwoman and the ever-popular Poison Ivy are considered shoo-ins – Warner Bros. has spent the past few months slowly making headway on the buzzworthy project. Christina Hodson was brought aboard to hash out a script in November, though it’s now understood Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Tomb Raider) will finesse the planned DC spinoff from here on out.
As for Gotham City Sirens, it’s a relatively new comic series from Paul Dini and Guillem March in which the Clown Princess of Crime, along with her evil accomplices, essentially rule the roost over Gotham City. The Caped Crusader is nowhere to be found early on in the story, leaving Gotham in the hands of its most elusive female criminals.
Thanks in large part to the hype and excitement generated by Suicide Squad, Harley Quinn is currently one of the most popular characters on the DC roster, and building a standalone pic around Margot Robbie’s conniving villain is, on paper, a no-brainer. Selecting David Ayer to helm the project though will arguably prove more contentious among DC fans, particularly when you factor in the alleged production woes that plagued Suicide Squad. Perhaps this will lend the director a shot at cinematic redemption?
No release date to report for Gotham City Sirens just yet, though THR notes that Warner Bros. plans to fast-track the spinoff into production.