Birds of Prey Director Endorses Earlier VOD Release Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

The spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus is having a profound impact on the entertainment industry, as countless currently-filming television shows and movies go into a temporary shutdown. Recent and upcoming releases are beginning to be affected by the pandemic, as governments begin to discourage gatherings of more than ten people, something that is more than likely to happen at an average movie theater. On Monday, it was announced that Universal would be making its recent releases available on-demand in the coming weeks, so those in social isolation are still able to see the films. While the move is relatively unprecedented, it’s garnered a positive response given the circumstances of the pandemic — and it looks the director of one of this year’s previous blockbusters wouldn’t mind doing the same. Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) director Cathy Yan took to Twitter to reveal that she “would not be opposed” to the film – which was released a little over a month ago – having an earlier VOD release date.

While it is ultimately Warner Bros.’ decision to release Birds of Prey on VOD earlier than intended, things certainly could be headed in that direction. Universal’s move already impacts three of their recent releases — The Invisible Man, The Hunt, and Emma, as well as the upcoming Trolls World Tour.

Birds of Prey sees Margot Robbie returning to her role as Harley Quinn, as she finds a new outlook on life following her break-up with The Joker. In the process, Harley unintentionally joins forces with Dinah Lance/Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), Helena Bertinelli/Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez), as they fight to save a young girl named Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) from being killed by crime boss Roman Sionis/Black Mask (Ewan McGregor).

“To me, the story is super compelling and personal to me because it is about emancipation, about women sort almost being competitive with one another and bringing each other down,” Yan said of the film in an interview last year. “But also because of our own inabilities, I think to feel so powerless in the stranglehold that is the patriarchy. I feel like I very much have gone through that arc myself…And I’ve seen it, especially I think set against the backdrop of like #MeToo and what has been happening in our industry in the last few years. So, that definitely infiltrated its way into my pitch as well. So that for me this film was so much more than a superhero film about first girl gang film or any of that. But it really has a compelling narrative and theme to it is very, very personal to me.”

Do you want to see Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) hit VOD sooner? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!