Harley Quinn Gets Real

Harley Quinn Gets Real

December 12, 2014 0 By EVA

The first recruits of DC Comics’ upcoming ‘Suicide Squad’ are appearing.

Margot Robbie has been tipped for the role of Harley Quinn, the Joker’s damaged and dangerous companion. Robbie broke out in last years Oscar nominated The Wolf of Wall Street, and the Australian actress showed a range of sultry, stern, and silly that raised her above being just a beautiful blonde on DiCaprio’s arm. Now, according to Collider, she is taking the role in DC’s ensemble of evil.

As the rumours fly around the rest of the cast, the film itself is edging towards being one of the most interesting on DC’s upcoming slate. Scheduled for 2016 it has director David Ayer attached and names like Tom Hardy and Will Smith have been mentioned.

Between the scale this implies, Ayer’s history of intense writing and directing (Training Day, End of Watch, Fury), and the central premise; supervillains forced to do dangerous government missions or have their heads blown off, it is fast becoming a fascinating project. Will Hardy return to Bane? Does Smith want a spin-off or is he content to share responsibilities with a team? How connected will it be to other slated projects?

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Harley Quinn herself is a strange character no matter what tone the film sets. A psychiatrist manipulated and pushed by the Joker into a life of crime, she is obsessed with the Clown Prince in a twisted, and often disturbing, relationship. How the film approaches this dynamic will say a lot about the overall attitude it brings to bear on all its characters.

Certainly the most recent, almost iconic, portrayal by Heath Ledger would create a very dark and psychologically intense power play with Harley. Yet the film could take a completely different route, with Ayer claiming the film will be like “The Dirty Dozen with supervillains”, implying a more comedic and action-packed vibe could take hold.

After all, Harley Quinn began her existence on Batman: The Animated Series, and not the comic books. It might have been a dark show but it was nonetheless a cartoon with a far younger demographic than, say, a Scorsese film.With Jared Leto the most recent actor courting the role of the most grin-happy of supervillains, the ‘Suicide Squad’ will be shaped, ultimately, by Joker and Harley Quinn. Where exactly on the spectrum from crazy to clown he comes down, and how Harley latches onto him, will be a crucial guide to what kind of Suicide Squad we live, and die, with.

This article was written for publication on The GCE by Paul Neary