Margot Robbie was already a massive star when she first took on the role of Harley Quinn. Now, almost 10 years later, she’s only become more famous and popular, especially after starring in and producing the biggest movie of 2023, Barbie. She certainly doesn’t need to come back to the role, especially with the DC Universe about to reboot, but DC Films president James Gunn recently suggested that the role is still hers.
“I haven’t talked to Margot about Harley for a long time,” Gunn, who directed her as the character in 2021 The Suicide Squad, said on Threads. “But I’d love to work with her again as Harley or someone else. There are no plans at this time for anyone else to play Harley (I mean, other than in Todd [Phillips]’s movie or the animated show/s.)”
The quote came in response to a fan asking about Robbie’s recent comments to Variety about Lady Gaga playing the character in the aforementioned Todd Phillips movie, Joker: Folie à Deux. “I always wanted Harley to be a character that would get passed on to other actresses to play, the way there are so many iconic male characters. That was always the dream for her,” Robbie said. “Harley’s so fun and can go in so many different directions. You put her in someone else’s hands, and it’s like, ‘What are they going to do with her?’ The options are endless.”
As Gunn mentions, the Gaga/Joker version of Harley and the animated series are independent of the film universe he’s helping create for DC. In that universe, there isn’t an established Harley yet, which leaves the door open for Robbie to return. But Robbie’s quotes about other actresses getting to play the character feel very much like her gracefully suggesting she’d be more than okay letting someone else take the role.
So will Robbie swing Harley’s bat ever again? If you’re Gunn and Warner Bros., of course you would like one of the most famous, marketable actresses in the entire world to star in your films. That’s the biggest no-brainer ever. Gunn even says he’d be open to her playing someone else in the universe. However, especially after Birds of Prey failed to connect, it sure does sound like Robbie is ready to let someone else step up to the plate in this new universe. Ultimately though, that’ll be her decision.
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