When Bruce Timm and Paul Dini created Harley Quinn for Batman: The Animated Series in 1992, the likely had no idea that they had given birth to what would become one of the most popular characters in the DC Comics universe.
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Speaking to ComicBook.com at Comic-Con International: San Diego, Timm says that even now he feels like he was barely aware of Harley’s rise to superstardom.
“Her popularity has just exploded over the years,” Timm says. “I wasn’t even really aware that it was happening. I was kind of peripherally aware of it happening and then a couple years ago a reporter says to me, ‘You know she’s like the fourth most popular character in comic books now,’ and I was like, ‘What!?…How did that happen?’”
“When you walk around at Comic-Con you see nothing but Batmans and Harley Quinns,” Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy notes.
It was that rise in popularity, topped off by Margot Robbie playing the character in live-action film debut in Suicide Squad in 2016, is what allowed Timm to convince the Warner Bros. Home Media to let Harley co-headline this latest film alongside Batman.
While Harley Quinn debuted in 1992 on Batman: The Animated Series, she didn’t make her way into the DC Comics universe until Batman: Harley Quinn #1 in 1999, which was written by Harley’s original co-creator Paul Dini.
Spawned from an original story by animation icon Bruce Timm, Batman and Harley Quinn brings legendary voice actor Kevin Conroy back to his most famous role. Poison Ivy and Jason Woodrue (a.k.a. The Floronic Man) embark on an ecological quest to save the planet—and, unfortunately, eliminate most of humankind along the way. To save humanity, Batman and Nightwing are forced to enlist Harley Quinn to catch Poison Ivy, Harley’s BFF and frequent partner-in-crime. But Batman’s patience is put to the test by the unpredictable and untrustworthy Harley during the twists and turns the reluctant companions face during their bumpy road trip. The result is a thrill ride of action, adventure and comedy no Batman fan has seen before.
Batman and Harley Quinn is written by Bruce Tim and Jim Krieg and directed by Sam Liu. The voice cast includes Kevin Conroy as Batman / Bruce Wayne, Loren Lester as Nightwing / Dick Grayson, Melissa Rauch as Harley Quinn / Dr. Harleen Quinzel, Paget Brewster as Poison Ivy / Pamela Isley, Kevin Michael Richardson as Floronic Man / Jason Woodrue, John DiMaggio as Swamp Thing / Alec Holland, and Sarge Steel.
Batman and Harley Quinn releases on Blu-ray and other home media on Aug. 29 2017.
More Batman and Harley Quinn: Bruce Timm Open To Doing More Batman: The Animated Series Movies / First Look At Batman And Harley Quinn Movie / Batman And Harley Quinn Official Trailer Released
