Yan is currently in negotiations to direct the 'Suicide Squad' spin-off centering on Margot Robbie's villainous character.
- Apr 18, 2018
AceShowbiz - The untitled Harley Quinn project is moving forward with a director close to coming aboard. Warner Bros and DC Entertainment have reportedly tapped Cathy Yan to helm the "Suicide Squad" spin-off and negotiations with the helmer are still underway.
Should the deal be sealed, Yan will be the third female filmmaker to tackle DC-Warner Bros. movie after Patty Jenkins directed "Wonder Woman" and Ava DuVernay was tapped for an upcoming adaptation of "The New Gods".
According to Deadline, Yan landed the job, thanks in part to Margot Robbie who "held firm to her desire for this film to be directed by a woman." Though so, Yan still had to get through the competition which reportedly also involved numerous well established male directors.
The Chinese-American filmmaker was chosen as she apparently gained attention with her feature film debut "Dead Pigs", which screened at Sundance and won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble Acting at the 2018 festival. Yan reportedly also stood out during her presentation for the upcoming Harley Quinn movie.
The "Suicide Squad" spin-off will take inspiration from "Birds of Prey" comic, and unite Quinn with several female heroes like Black Canary, Batgirl and Huntress. Robbie is set to reprise her role as Joker's lunatic girlfriend. Other cast members are not announced yet.
The script is being written by Christina Hodson, who's also working on the scribe of "Transformers" spin-off "Bumblebee" and DC's "Batgirl". Robbie will also produce the film with Sue Kroll and Bryan Unkeless. Production may begin by year's end or early next year, after Robbie completes filming for Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood".
This is not the only planned "Suicide Squad" spin-off that will feature Quinn. The studios were previously reported developing "Harley Quinn Vs The Joker" and "Gotham City Sirens", but both projects have been seemingly put on hold.
