Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), which I and everyone else will be referring to as Birds of Prey for the sake of brevity, released its first teaser trailer earlier this week and is currently shooting in Los Angeles. And, with a location shoot comes set photos, the latest of which have arrived today and show off a couple of new outfits for Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn.
While her trashy disco-punk look is admittedly pretty freakin’ rad, I think the real interesting part of these pictures (seen in the gallery down below) is the name of the store that they show: Murray’s Exotic Animals. That’s because it might hint that the movie’s going to introduce Harley’s exotic pets from her animated origins.
These are hyenas Bud and Lou, named after Abbott and Costello. Though a minor part of the Batman mythos, they’ve popped up all over the animated series, as well as making a brief cameo appearance in Arkham City (they were stuffed in the Natural History Museum). Anyone who’s seen a nature documentary about hyenas knows that they’re seriously dangerous animals, though their famous ‘laughter’ makes them a perfect fit for Harley Quinn.
Don’t expect to see any hyenas on set during the shoot though, because if they’re going to be in the finished film I can all but guarantee they’ll be a CGI creation rather than the producers bringing the real animals to Hollywood.
I wasn’t especially hyped up for Birds of Prey until I saw that awesome teaser trailer. It’s taking an unmistakable cue from Harmony Korine’s absolutely incredible 2013 hit Spring Breakers (arguably, the Joker in Suicide Squad took a couple of cues from James Franco’s Alien already), so if this is the aesthetic they’re sticking to, then sign me up for opening night.
We expect to see more of the Birds of Prey as the other heroes and villains hit the set over the coming weeks, so be sure to stay tuned for additional glimpses of the pic ahead of its release on February 7th, 2020.