Cathy Yan will direct the Harley Quinn standalone film based on the DC Comics "Birds of Prey" title, becoming the first Asian female to direct a superhero movie.
The decision comes on the heels of Yan’s debut film, the indie “Dead Pigs,” which screened at Sundance this year. The film will mark Margot Robbie’s return to the role of Harley Quinn.
Yan is be the third female chosen to direct a DC Comics film, after Patty Jenkins of the “Wonder Woman” franchise and Ava Duvernay, who was recently announced as director of a “New Gods” movie.
Yan will be a lead decision maker about which villains appear in the film: potentials could be Poison Ivy, Catwoman, Joker, or others, The Washington Post reported, although the movie will likely have an all-female gang of villains with males in supporting roles, if at all.
Production is planned for the end of the year, since Robbie is now in negotiations to play Sharon Tate in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Variety reported.
Production for the sequel to “Suicide Squad,” in which Harley Quinn was the breakout character, also is expected to happen in 2018.
Yan’s “Dead Pigs” earned a World Cinema Dramatic Award for Ensemble Acting at Sundance, and Robbie lobbied hard for a female director for the “Birds of Prey” film after Yan’s strong pitch for the film, Forbes reported.
The screenplay for the Harley Quinn vehicle was written by Christina Hodson, who also will write “Batgirl” after Joss Whedon’s exit.
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