The DC Movie franchise has had a long and winding path to where it stands now, which is somewhere in-between being a major shared universe (Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Justice League, Suicide Squad), and a new slate of films designed to correct the mistakes of the past and stand independently, with only the loosest interconnections to other films, if any (The Suicide Squad, Joker, Shazam). Birds of Prey occupies a strange middleground between those two poles: it’s a Suicide Squad spinoff, but is also meant to launch a new franchise – or at least that was the plan. It now seems that the planned Birds of Prey spinoff film Gotham City Sirens is dead in the water over at Warner Bros.
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Suicide Squad director David Ayer was recently attending the TCA panel for his new Fox series Deputy (which he executive produces). During the panel, Ayer was asked about Gotham City Sirens, which he was slated to direct. As the filmmaker said in no uncertain terms about Gotham City Sirens: “No, I think it’s on pause.”
If you don’t have a long memory for all the twists and turns of these DC movies: David Ayer was expected to come back for the Suicide Squad sequel, before being rumored for other projects like the Harley & Joker movie. Ultimately, Ayer signed on to direct the Gotham City Sirens project, which seemed right up his alley. In DC Comics, the Birds of Prey team was comprised of Gotham City heroines / vigilantes like Huntress and Batgirl; conversely, the Gotham City Sirens team was comprised of Gotham City female villains like Catwoman and Poison Ivy (and of course, Harley Quinn as well). The rumored plan was for Warner Bros. to release Birds of Prey, followed by Gotham City Sirens, culminating in a Birds vs. Sirens crossover film.
The linchpin of this mini-franchise would be Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn. Presumably, Harley would start by trying to connect with the Birds of Prey, but ultimately can’t fit in with that group of vigilantes and a police detective. Harley could then find more acceptance with girls of a more villainous nature in Gotham City Sirens, and then Birds vs. Sirens would require Harley to play peacemaker between the two teams, to accomplish some larger goal.
Right now, Gotham City Sirens could just be on hold until Warner Bros. gets to see how Birds of Prey performs in theaters, as well as what the next step for Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn should be in this present context. That’s a nice change of pace for DC/WB, as the studio has typically bitten off more than it can chew, giving the green light to new projects before they’re even viable possibilities.
Do you want to see that Gotham City Sirens movie happen? Let us know in the comments!
Upcoming DC Movies include Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) on February 7, 2020, Wonder Woman 1984 on June 5, 2020, The Batman on June 25, 2021, The Suicide Squad on August 6, 2021, and Aquaman 2 on December 16, 2022. The Flash is set to go into production in 2021.
