'Birds Of Prey' Trailer: Harley Quinn Is Back, And She's Bringing Some New Friends

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) – yes, that's the real title – gives Margot Robbie another shot at playing Harley Quinn, and hopefully, things will turn out better this time. Robbie leads a cast that includes Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rosie Perez, and Ella Jay Basco in this female-driven superhero team-up flick. Watch the Birds of Prey trailer below.

Margot Robbie has firmly established herself as a talented actor. And in theory, she could be a great Harley Quinn. I say in theory, and could because I feel Robbie hasn't been given a fair opportunity to show what she's got. Robbie's first outing as Harley was in the absolutely abysmal Suicide Squad, and try as she might, she had next to nothing to work with. A performer's talents will only get them so far. If the character they're playing is poorly written, it's very hard to rise above the material.

Thankfully, Robbie is going to have another chance. Two chances, actually, since she's reprising the character for James Gunn's Suicide Squad sequel. First, though, she'll appear in Cathy Yan's Birds of Prey. The film teams Robbie with Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Black Canary, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress, Ella Jay Basco as Cassandra Cain, and Rosie Perez as Renee Montoya. Here's the synopsis:

Since the events of Suicide Squad, Batman has disappeared, leaving Gotham City unprotected from crime, and Harley Quinn has left the Joker. When Cassandra Cain, a young girl, comes across a diamond belonging to crime lord Black Mask, Harley joins forces with Black Canary, Huntress and Renee Montoya to help protect her.

Ewan McGregor is playing Black Mask, while Chris Messina takes on the role of serial killer Victor Zsasz. The script comes from Bumblebee writer Christina Hodson, and it was the script that particularly drew in director Cathy Yan. "I could not put the script down, it had so much dark humor to it, which a lot of my work does, and there are themes of female empowerment which are so strong and relatable," Yan said. "So I went in [to the pitch meeting] with, not with confidence, but at least a sense that I belonged in the room, that somehow magically in terms of timing and luck that this opportunity was open to me and I was definitely going to make the best of it."

"I'm excited to see Harley stand on her own and be her own thing," Hodson said. "She is the character, in all of my writing, that I've most enjoyed. I'm excited to bring her into the world a second time. She's so full of contradictions, she's so intelligent, but also so crazy. She's just the most fun to write. You never know what you're gonna get when you sit down."

Birds of Prey opens February 7, 2020.