The future of blockbuster movies — especially ones inspired by the mythos of DC’s comics — is at an interesting nexus point. James Gunn and Peter Safran stepped in to lead DC Studios late last year, and have already announced their plans for the first ten movies and Max-exclusive shows under their umbrella. While the roster features a mix of A-list and lesser-known titles, there are still plenty of projects that fans want to see come to fruition, either directly from the comics or from development announcements that went nowhere. One project that has been on that latter list, and that arguably is a better fit for the forthcoming DC Universe and the larger entertainment industry than ever, might be Gotham City Sirens.
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Gotham City Sirens was first reported to be in the works in December of 2016, spinning out of the events of that year’s Suicide Squad movie. That original iteration of the film would have been helmed by Squad director David Ayer, with Margot Robbie returning as Harley Quinn. She would be joined by fellow recognizable antiheroines Poison Ivy and Catwoman, who began teaming up in the comics in 2009 to do crime, fight crime, and learn from each other. While updates about the Gotham City Sirens film trickled out — including rumors that its antagonist would be Roman Sionis / Black Mask — the project was ultimately put on hold in favor of 2020’s Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). Still, Robbie continued (still to this day) to advocate in interviews for Sirens to become a reality, or at least to explore Harley’s relationship with Poison Ivy onscreen. And although Robbie’s Harley isn’t currently confirmed to appear in the first ten DCU projects, Gunn has hinted at aspirations to work with her again.
And then, Robbie starred in the biggest movie of 2023, and the highest-grossing movie in the history of Warner Bros. itself: Barbie. Despite the movie being an ensemble piece with a lot of moving parts for people to enjoy, it can be safely argued that the movie wouldn’t have worked without Robbie producing and starring as Stereotypical Barbie. She was even the first person to argue that Barbie could make $1 billion at the global box office — which it has done, and then some. While there will continue to be a debate about what lessons should be learned from Barbie — more toy-related movies, more movies directed by women, or even more movies simply using practical sets and effects — one lesson should be obvious to Warner Bros. After Barbie, audiences will conceivably follow Robbie to whatever franchise role she has next, and following her to the equally-feminist, punchy, and unapologetically-feminine world of Gotham City Sirens would be an easy sell.
Barbie isn’t the only part of our current pop culture that helps make Gotham City Sirens an easy sell. For starters, Max’s Harley Quinn animated series has already helped introduce Harley and Ivy’s friendship-turned-romance to a much wider audience, and DC’s recent comics have helped boost their relationship as well. The past few months of 2023 have also been lauded “the summer of girlhood”, with feminine elements and communal experiences being celebrated more than ever thanks to Barbie, as well as Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour. The first leg of The Eras Tour traversed the United States for months, creating a once-in-a-lifetime experience for fans — one that, thanks to Swift’s prolific catalogue of music, also provides a sense of catharsis about love, loss, the patriarchy, and so much more.
Just this Thursday, Swift announced plans to release a filmed version of The Eras Tour exclusively in theaters in October — and within hours, reports were indicating that the concert movie’s early ticket sales were well over $10 million. (The news also caused the upcoming The Exorcist: Believer, which was scheduled to debut in theaters on the same day, to move its release date.) While we still have a few months until Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour hits theaters, those early numbers prove that Barbie wasn’t exactly a fluke, and that if you create a communal blockbuster experience that’s geared towards a female audience, they will show up. Now that that fact is becoming clear, there are dozens of ways Hollywood should learn from it, and dozens of female-fronted projects that should be greenlit in its wake — but a film version of Gotham City Sirens seems like an easy place to start.
Do you want to see Gotham City Sirens in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
