So we all know that Harley Quinn will have a big role in the Birds of Prey movie. It’s also starting to sound like Harley will be the one who brings the team together and not Oracle… why?
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$$$-that character has the most fame behind it at the moment in the main stream.
Orr they are gonna lean very heavy on some sort of a redemption story for her?
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Oh! Or both lol
Same question I have. She shouldn’t even be in the film unless as a villain. Maggie Robbie being a producer and having some extra pull is not a good move
Suicide Squad, Gotham City Sirens, Jared Joker should be it for her
All I know is that it really bums me out. 
Oracle hasn’t been mentioned at all regarding the movie and that seems so backwards. Harley has been presented as a villain in the DCEU, and it -also- bums me out thinking about them potentially turning her into a hero of sorts.
The only thing that I can think of as to why Harley is involved (aside from $$$) is maybe the writers were inspired by a moment in Joker’s Last Laugh where the BoP ‘save’ Harley from Joker trying to have a baby with her. Maybe? Her character in the old BoP show, as weird as the portrayal was, was a villain so… shrug
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My theory is, this isnt so much about bringing our beloved Birds of Prey into the film universe as it is showing everyone how woke and diverse WB can be. Notice VERY few people reporting on BoP even recognize Harley has nothing to do with the team. They basically just clap because “it’s such a brave and empowering move” because they dont know or care what Birds of Prey is, they only know people like Harley and anytime someone says “diverse cast” they are supposed to clap like circus seals in some sort of Pavlovian-esque display of obedience.
It’s like how they praised Disney for giving visionless director Ava Devurnay a large budget sci-fi fantasy epic and ignored the fact she hasn’t done anything to justify that decision. They said it was about time it happened, a woman of color directing a big movie! They praised her for casting a young black actress as the lead “because it was powerful to show a white male following a young black girl”. That movie bombed, it resonated with nobody, turns out people would rather see something entertaining. Somehow, it got rave reviews and full articles about how important it was, how showing “different perspectives, different voices” trumped all the problems with the film, and there are many.
That’s why instead of creating hype for the characters or franchise, they are praising the scriptwriter who has written nothing noteworthy for being female, the director for being Asian and female, the casting call was for “a diverse cast of females” instead of several distinct descriptions. Robbie said “Harley needs friends” and that she wanted to make “an R rated girl-gang movie” and that is literally all this is. It isnt Birds of Prey, it isn’t Gotham City Sirens, its is literally “Harley Quinn and a bunch of females in superhero costumes”.
I think they went over alot and decided to keep Ivy, Selina, and Babs out of it as they are actually some of the most recognizable characters of all time whereas Canary and Huntress are less known and therefore expendable. They will just be characters in a Harley Quinn movie. If people love them, great news for WB, if not at least they dont do any damage to Catwoman, Ivy, or Batgirl in the public eye.
They hear theres money in diversity and they can see Black Panther and Wonder Woman, but those are the only examples. Ghostbusters remake, Oceans 11: ladies night, and everything else that wasnt BP or WW.
Personally, I think the whole thing is the definition of misguided. People have been watching diversity in film for decades, they just didnt notice because it wasnt being forced fed. Ever hear of Ripley or Sarah Connor? Lethal Weapon? Coming to America? Blade? C’mon WB, stop being the kid who quit rollerblading because of one homophobic joke.
Recap: They are less interested in Birds of Prey or Gotham City Sirens, they are more interested in showcasing Harley in something, anything, as well as the sunshine and rainbows that comes with appeasing the PC mob that comprise Rotton Tomatoes.
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I agree. Amanda Waller is a strong, female personality which runs a major federal department. But Viola Davis won’t make $$$ like Margot Robbie. So, they’re going to pretend Harlequin is some kind of anti-hero and destroy a whole team of beloved characters.
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feel free to furl the white male fear flag
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Well that’s a pretty tone def interpretation. Why debate with points and nuanced examination when you can just spit out bumper sticker slogans. Speaking of pavlovian behavior…
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Margot Robbie knows what she’s doing. Birds of Prey will be good.
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not an ounce of nuance, similar to and more obvious but with less effort than the drive-by misogyny in the Episode 8 thread
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I’ll tell you why $$$
Ivy was in New 52 Birds of Prey and I think she worked quite well.
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@Zombedy, your response is not only disrespectful and presumptuous, it is dangerously riddled with misinformation. You are passionate about your politics, that is clear. You are given the freedom to wield your opinion, assuming it is done so in a respectful and harmonious way in this space.
Community Guideline #1, the first and most important rule of the road on this forum, is:
“We all have our favorite DC characters and stories and out community should celebrate that diversity amongst our fans and properties. Please share your opinions in a constructive way and refrain from rude, insulting, demeaning, or inflammatory posts.”
The reason we ask for respect and harmony is because these forums are a diverse audience. We want everyone to feel welcome. We do not want these forums to become anyone’s political soapbox. We hold gentle hospitality and table manners in mind at all times.
We support diversity in all its forms and all its successes and failure. We support the ability to bring diverse voices into the world. We support diverse creators and giving people who histor ically have not been given opportunities in the past a chance to broaden the conversation. There is room in the world for stories you like, and stories you don’t.
If you do not agree with the way in which these efforts are executed, we (again) ask that you share your opinions in a way that is not rude, insulting, demeaning, or inflammatory.
We love having you on the forums and hope that you continue to participate in conversations, bearing in mind that we all come from different walks of life and love stories differently. It is okay to remember to respect that about other people when expressing your opinion.
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With all due respect, the fact you interpret that as me being passionate about my politics says more about your passion for your politics, that is backed up by your unwillingness to question the status quo. If I’m operating under misinformation, please enlighten me, especially if it is a danger to anyone. If I have offended anyone I sincerely apologize but feel you may have misinterpreted my meaning. I’m not criticizing the merits of diversity, just the way it gets propped up by mainstream outlets. I also provided a handful out of hundreds of movies over 30 years old that are beloved by most and are racially diverse showing America didnt really have a problem in the first place.
I mean, if I’m presumptuous and offensive than what does the response just below my original post qualify as? I’m dropping it now, but you should maybe explain to me how I’m wrong or hurtful instead of just saying I am.
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Babs is one of my favorite characters
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Personally, I like Titans respect for established history. If they want BoP, use Oracle. Don’t rewrite history and risk alienating the existing fans. Get the new viewers interested in the backstory.
In fact, Oracle’s first appearance was actually in the original run of Suicide Squad.
So, they could start the movie with a cold open, right after Joker springs Harley from ther last movie. Joker and Harley do a heist and get trapped. Joker blames Harley and beats her up. He escapes, she’s caught.
Credits roll with a montage of Harley rejoining Task Force X, going on missions, pining for Joker, watching other villains get killed by the mission or by Waller (cold as ever). Throughout it all, Oracle is watching and advising the team. Oracle begins to feel for Harley as Harley falls into PTSD.
After the montage, Joker frees Harley again. At this point, Oracle also leaves Waller’s employ because she’s sick of Waller’s tricks and ruthlessness.
So now, we’ve got two concurrent stories: Oracle builds BoP, and Harley struggles through life with Joker. And there’s still an hour and a half to bring these stories together.
If done correctly, you’ve set yourself up for a sequel with a well established BoP versus a well established GCS. And the post-credits scene shows Waller, still scheming and building towards a larger plot.
And I totally agree with Zombedy: don’t make this a girl-power movie. Don’t highlight the wokeness of it. (“Golly, aren’t they great. Look everybody, women are actually capable of making a good movie! It’s amazing!”) Instead, make a good movie.
I can’t think of anything more offensive than to be patronized because of your race or gender. “Look everybody, Black Panther was a great movie; and the cast and crew were mostly black! Can you believe it?” No. That’s wrong. Black Panther was a good movie because it was well made. And that’s what Zombedy was saying. It has nothing to do with the gender or race of anyone who made it. He listed several successful movies with strong female and non-white actors.
Viola Davis doesn’t make a bad-@ss Waller because she’s black or female. No. It’s because she’s an awesome actor. A Wrinkle in Time didn’t bomb because this country is racist or sexist; it bombed because it’s a poorly crafted movie.
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Hi @Zombedy! Thank you for the respectful reply. I called attention to your comment in order to address the antagonizing and sarcastic language that targeted a specific group of beliefs. We issue the same warnings to anyone who expressly violate the guidelines, regardless of the viewpoint or opinion. We ask that you keep your tone respectful, kind, and anti-inflammatory. Thank you!
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First off @Harley, thank you for taking the time to read my words and process them as I intended them. You summarized it much more elegantly than I, that is exactly what I meant.
@Applejack, I will keep that in mind, but when you single me out on my tone and say im disparaging people with a set of beliefs, you ignore that identitarianism is a political ideology, not a belief system. It also comes off as hypocritical to ignore the blatant racial disparagement just a little bit below my original post. I am not mocking people of color or any specific or unspecified gender, I am mocking the the idea that shared aesthetic features determine an universal voice and experience or the idea that a fictional character needs to look similar to myself for me to relate to them. My thoughts on intersectionality is that it is the antithesis of equality, Martin Luther King, Jr.s family agrees with me whole heartedly. If it were my belief, would it be protected? Would you shut down any talk that conflicted with it?
Just want to acknowledge that I know you arent coming at me like the Gestapo, you’ve been nothing but cordial and pleasant, you asked politely and explained yourself and I will oblige, but please be more consistant in your moderating as it feels very politically biased when you label politics as beliefs that I cant speak sarcastically about while ignoring the very direct racial disparagement on the same thread. Stressing the “feels like”
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Wait a minute. Am I the only one that thinks @manifest should reread the terms and conditions again?
To be honest with regard to BOP if WB/DC wants to do anything with suicide squad or it’s characters they would be wise to consult with James Gunn. As he is the one that is going to fix the mess that is suicide squad and turn it into a profitable franchise. It will be difficult for Gunn to do that if WB/DC keeps running around lightning fires faster than he can put them out.
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