The Joker is one popular guy. A day after word broke that Warner Bros. was developinga Joker origin story movieforTodd Phillips(War Dogs) to direct as part of a series of non-DCEU standalone films, news comes that a Joker and Harley Quinn movie is in the works.THRreports thatGlenn FicarraandJohn Requa, the directors behindCrazy, Stupid, Love,Focus, and theTina FeydramedyWhiskey Tango Foxtrot, are in final negotiations to write, direct, and produce an untitled movie centering on Joker and Harley Quinn, withJared LetoandMargot Robbiereprising their roles fromSuicide Squad.
The film is described as a “criminal love story” and will revolve around the two characters that were introduced in the 2016 villain-centric movie, and as suchwillbe a movie that takes place within the DC Extended Universe. The plan is for this to move forward after the studio makesSuicide Squad 2, which is a priority. Warner Bros. had zeroed in onJaume Collett-Serra(The Shallows) to direct that sequel, but heinstead opted to take on Disney’sJungle Cruise. They’re currently out to directors asSuicide Squad 2is firmly on the fast track.
Why the hustle? THR reports one issue involves actors’ holding agreements—many of the actors fromSuicide Squadsigned contracts to appear in future films and sequels, but those contracts would appear to have expiration dates or at the very least dates at which the DC films lose their “priority" on the very busy ensemble’s schedule.
What this means forGotham City Sirens, the female-centricSuicide Squadspinoff, is unclear. Deadline suggests that this Joker and Harley Quinn movie is a new version of that, and thatSuicide SquadhelmerDavid Ayeris no longer attached to write and direct. That film originated from Robbie herself, who put the idea to Warner Bros. of a DCEU movie centering on female characters based on the comics runGotham City Sirens. She was attached to produce and Ayer signed on to write and direct, but it’s unclear if that project evolved into this Joker and Harley Quinn movie or ifGotham City Sirensis still in development.
This move comes as Warner Bros. is setting its plans for the future of its DC Comics adaptations.Justice Leagueopens in November,Aquamanis in production now,Shazam!is set to start filming early next year, andWonder Woman 2now has a firm 2019 release date. The studio is also looking for a top-tier director forThe Flash: Flashpoint, and is developing various other DC films likeJoss Whedon’sBatgirl,Nightwing, and of courseThe Batmanthat hasMatt Reevesdirecting andBen Affleckmaybe (or maybe not) playing Batman.
But Warner Bros. is also shaking things up, as evidenced by yesterday’s news of the Joker origin story. In addition to these aforementioned DCEU films, which will be in continuity with each other and presumably cross-pollinate characters, Warner Bros. is putting together a label under which they can create one-off DC Comics adaptations with ambitious new takes on the characters. This Joker origin movie will have an actor other than Leto in the lead role and will have no connectivity whatsoever to the DCEU—it’s basically a superhero art film with no strings attached and no franchise to build toward. This,I’ve argued, is a smart play by Warner Bros. that should set them up nicely for the future.
But the studio does also have its DCEU movies, and it appears a Joker and Harley Quinn film is in the cards. Ficarra and Requa have been in the WB family for a while now, dating back to 2011’sCrazy, Stupid, Love, so their involvement in the DCEU isn’t a huge surprise. Moreover, they also helped get the smash hit NBC seriesThis Is Usoff the ground, directing the pilot and executive producing the series. This Joker and Harley Quinn movie is clearly a departure for the duo, but the recurring thread through all their films is a pretty firm focus on character with a strong emotional core.
What say you folks? Are you ready for another round with Leto’s Joker and Robbie’s Harley Quinn, or would you have rather seen Robbie’s female-centricGotham City Sirensmove forward in its stead? Sound off in the comments below.
