Even though James Gunn hasn’t entirely ruled out the possibility of Jared Leto’s Joker making the tiniest cameo in The Suicide Squad, it appears that the showiest incarnation of Gotham’s greatest supervillain won’t show his “damaged” face again. He especially won’t appear in Birds Of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), given that he and the supervillainess formerly known as Dr. Harleen Quinzel had a bad breakup. That’s one reason why (other than sheer joy) the film carries an excessively long title — because the Joker is persona non grata in Harley’s emancipated life.
The film’s recent teaser trailer confirmed this, and Warner Bros. has issued a brand spanking new synopsis, which demonstrates that Harley has so much on her plate that the Joker may as well not even exist:
You ever hear the one about the cop, the songbird, the psycho and the mafia princess? Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is a twisted tale told by Harley herself, as only Harley can tell it. When Gotham’s most nefariously narcissistic villain, Roman Sionis, and his zealous right-hand, Zsasz, put a target on a young girl named Cass, the city is turned upside down looking for her. Harley, Huntress, Black Canary and Renee Montoya’s paths collide, and the unlikely foursome have no choice but to team up to take Roman down.
The story will be “told by Harley herself, as only Harley can tell it,” which sounds like fantabulous news, indeed. This synopsis doesn’t quite match up to the irresistible blend of John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum madness (with ninjas, pigeons, ravens, and so on), but Harley’s roundup of flotsam seems intoxicating enough, and Ewan McGregor’s Black Mask/Roman Sionis looks like enough male villainy in a movie where the ladies are meant to shine.
Birds of Prey also stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress, Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Canary, and Rosie Perez as Renee Montoya. The movie arrives on February 7, 2020.
