It’s easy to be skeptical of anything Joker or Harley Quinn-related that DC Films and Warner Bros. puts out after Suicide Squad. That disaster of an Oscar-winning film established the “edgy” corner of the DC movies that no one really asked for, and it’s fair if you thought that the Cathy Yan-directed Birds of Prey looks the same. The new trailer will certainly have its naysayers, but you know what? I’m in.
Like a lot of people in the world, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) is tired of the Joker, having broken up with him off-screen. Looking for a “fresh start,” she gets riled up in a conflict against Black Mask (Ewan McGregor), who suspiciously isn’t wearing a mask. Said conflict ends up with Quinn teaming up with Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) to protect young Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco).
While I have no clue what those characters are like, given the Harley-centric nature of the trailer, they all do add to the film’s unique sense of style. We’ve already known this since Aquaman and Shazam, but gone are the grim-dark DC films of yore, and in are actual colors. Maybe Harley will end up being unbearably obnoxious, but at least it’ll be done fabulously.
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) will hit theaters on February 7, 2020, as the first rated-R film in this DC shared universe. Robbie will also reprise the role of Harley Quinn in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, which began filming last week. Check out the initial teaser trailer and the, uh, unique poster here.