Margot Robbie Wanted 'Women Being Friends' On Screen With Birds Of Prey

The upcoming Birds of Prey is a zany, vibrant exploration of Harley Quinn as more than just "Joker's girlfriend" or maybe a sidekick. It's her first, real emancipation from the toxic relationship we've seen her in for so several years, and as such she's seen living it up in the initial footage we've seen of the film. Margot Robbie is trying something decidedly different.


She's also got her own "girl gang' at her side supporting her, including Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez). According to writer Christina Hodson, Robbie had a very clear vision for the film right from the start: ladies hanging out together.


"She really wanted to be able to see Harley with girlfriends, Harley in a girl gang," Hodson told Variety. "Harley is such a certainly sociable character. And I think there was just a general longing to be able to see ladies with each other on screen — females being companions Robbie's partner Tom Ackerley explained further that this desire stemmed from the order of companions she had in real life.


"She has a crowd of companions in the U.K.; She has a crowd of companions in Australia; she has a crowd of girlfriends here," he mentioned. "They live fun and vivacious lives. And she was like, ‘I don’t visualize that on screen.’" And so, the current Birds of Prey movie as we know it was born.


The movie will explore Harley's final breakup with the Joker, much like the DC animated series Harley Quinn has done in a more comedic way. Jared Leto's Joker himself won't be appearing in the film, Robbie confirmed throughout her Variety interview, though, which means the focus will be squarely on Harley and the girls. For several fans, the consensus will probably be "It's about time."


Birds of Prey is headed to theaters on February 8, 2020.