Director James Gunn confirms Harley Quinn's future in the DCEU. Played by Margot Robbie in arguably one of the best casting choices in the superhero sandbox, the character has become a fan-favorite since debuting in David Ayer's Suicide Squad. She reprised the role twice more, in Cathy Yan's Birds of Prey and Gunn's The Suicide Squad.
Although there's clear interest to see more of Harley Quinn in the DCEU, the recent Warner Bros. shake-up is causing concern about what to expect in the universe. It's worth noting that, after the change in management, the studio is retooling its approach to its superhero franchise. That includes canceling Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi's Batgirl – a film that was supposed to be the launching pad for Leslie Grace's Barbara Gordon and was almost near completion with a $90 million budget. Warner Bros. is also more actively following Marvel Studios' MCU strategy in how to move forward with the DCEU. Given all these changes, it's safe to assume that the franchise's future will look significantly different.
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Luckily for Harley Quinn fans, Gunn has already come out to confirm she is already slated for another appearance in the DCEU. After paying tribute to the original creators of the anti-villain, the filmmaker was asked if Robbie's character will return to the franchise, and he answers "Yes." Check out Gunn's tweet reply below:
Currently, there are only six confirmed DC films, with Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix's Joker: Folie à Deux wrapping things up in 2024. Besides that, there are also a handful of shows that are still in development, including Peacemaker season 2 and an in-development Green Lantern show. Looking at DC Films' longstanding slate, Gunn's Peacemaker on HBO Max is the most plausible project for Harley Quinn to re-emerge. Aside from the fact she has an existing relationship with Peacemaker, given their time together in The Suicide Squad, it would also be the most interesting scenario, since John Cena's anti-hero is still deemed dead by his surviving Task Force X teammates. If that isn't the case, the fact that Gunn can definitively offer an update about Harley Quinn's DCEU future suggests that he is somehow involved in her next appearance.
For what it's worth, she is arguably one of the safest characters in the DCEU. Between Robbie's great performance as Harley Quinn and the anti-hero's popularity, the chances are slim to none that Warner Bros. would simply drop her just because they are changing filmmaking strategies. Despite not being an actual superhero, Harley Quinn is treated as one of the faces of the franchise, so it's only a matter of time before she re-emerges on either the big or small screen to continue her story.