With David Ayer’s DC Extended Universe movie, Suicide Squad releasing on Blu-Ray and DVD today, The Hollywood Reporter has broken a major scoop about Ayer’s next project. The director will apparently be sticking with the big screen DC Universe’s evil side, though not for a Suicide Squad sequel at this point. Instead, Ayer has reportedly been hired to direct the female-led Suicide Squad spin-off movie, which Warner Bros. is fast-tracking after Suicide Squad star, Margot Robbie proposed the movie to the studio. THR also confirms that the spin-off movie is being titled ‘Gotham City Sirens‘, in reference to a comic book series published by DC which revolves around Batman’s high-profile female villains.
Robbie will not only reprise her role from Suicide Squad as the feature film incarnation of Joker paramour and deranged DC villainess, Harley Quinn, but since the movie was her idea, she will also serve as an executive producer on the project. Ayer will also be producing the movie, alongside DC Films bosses, Geoff Johns and Jon Berg. Tomb Raider movie reboot writer, Geneva Robertson-Dworet will be writing the script.
Cast and story details of Gotham City Sirens are not known beyond Robbie’s Harley Quinn being a lead character at this point, though a prior report claimed that the Sirens’ counterpart, DC’s all-female vigilante squad, Birds of Prey, will also feature in the movie. Should the movie be following its comic book inspiration, Harley will likely be complemented by the presence of new live-action incarnations of Catwoman and Poison Ivy as well, since these villains are the other two personalities that make up the Gotham City Sirens in DC Comics lore. THR’s report even seems to tease the possibility that more female villains beyond Batman’s rogues gallery could also make it into the movie.
THR claims that Warner Bros. and DC are still attempting to develop a sequel to Suicide Squad, which, despite largely negative reviews from critics, went on to gross a whopping $745 million at the worldwide box office this year. THR even claims that both parties are looking into another potential Suicide Squad spin-off movie, in this case centering on Will Smith’s Deadshot, who, alongside Robbie’s Harley Quinn, received the highest praise among the cast in most reviews.
Gotham City Sirens however is furthest along in development, since Warner Bros. and DC are most keen on getting it made as soon as possible. Their passion for the project is unsurprising too, considering that Harley Quinn was considered to be DC’s most popular female character overall, even surpassing their more widely-known flagship heroine, Wonder Woman, and even before Suicide Squad released in theatres! The popularity of Robbie’s live-action Harley Quinn portrayal also famously went on to make her colourful villain the most popular Halloween costume among women this year.
Gotham City Sirens doesn’t yet have a release date, but keep whacking Eggplante for all major news and updates on it, and other DC Extended Universe movie projects.