Not long after Harley Quinn’s winkingly-decorated baseball bat helped knock David Ayer’s SUICIDE SQUAD out of the park and up the box-office charts with a record-breaking worldwide total of $745.6 million in receipts, it was announced that SUICIDE SQUAD director David Ayer would be reteaming with with Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn in the spinoff GOTHAM CITY SIRENS! And thanks of this exciting bit of information, we thought it would be cool to give you a warmup to the source material and delve into what we'd like to see from their next big-screen thrillride. Ayer, set to produce as well as direct, is said to already be hard at work on bringing comic book creator Paul Dini’s GOTHAM CITY SIRENS to theaters. Poised to pen the screenplay is Geneva Robertson-Dworet (SHERLOCK HOLMES 3, TOMB RAIDER), whose aim it will be to bring the characters of Selina Kyle AKA Catwoman, Pamela Isley AKA Poison Ivy, and everyone’s favorite Joker-lovin’, mallet swingin’ badass, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) together as they prowl the sinister streets of Gotham City in search of mischief.
It’s a lofty endeavor for certain, as there’s a lot that can go wrong in regard to the tone and characterization of some of DC’s most notorious vixens of vengeance, villainy, and violence. As a long-time fan of the comic book series – and an unabashed lover of all things related to women in comics – I thought I’d put together a short-list of things we want from this promising project. But first, a little background …
Written by Paul Dini with art by Guillem March, GOTHAM CITY SIRENS made its debut in June of 2009, as part of DC’s Batman: Reborn relaunch initiative. It’s like this: After a major cross-over event (which included DC Comics’ Heart of Hush, Manbat R.I.P., Final Crisis, and Battle For the Cowl storylines), the enigmatic Batman villain, Hush, went and cut out Catwoman’s heart. Nasty, right? Using his cunning and kevlar-clad mits, Batman managed to retrieve the heart. Shortly thereafter, Selina stole it back from him – in addition to a large sum of Bruce’s money. Ms. Kyle then gifted the proceeds to her fellow Gotham City femme fatales as a means of revenge.
Later, after Catwoman was nearly bested by a villain named “Boneblaster”, Poison Ivy came to Selina’s rescue. Ivy then offered for the cunning cat burglar to take up sanctuary with her and Harley Quinn – who were both squatting in a ramshackle apartment building owned by Edward Nygma AKA The Riddler. Before long, the three women started using the building as their base of operations, while plotting to take ownership of Gotham City, one crime-ridden alley at a time.
1. Relationship Goals
There’s some major potential here for elements of romance to be woven into the narrative of the film. It’s to be expected that Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn will become fast friends as the events of GOTHAM CITY SIRENS play out, though I now find myself asking the following question: Could they become more? There’s no doubt that Ivy and Harley becoming romantically intertwined would be looked upon by some as nothing more than fan-service. However, their being a couple is in fact an established part of the current DC Comics canon. It all began back in 1993, with the airing of the BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES episode entitled “Harley & Ivy”. During that glorious half-hour of pure nostalgic bliss, the two characters collaborated for the first time while engaging in a good ol’ fashioned crime spree.
Today, the two ladies are featured as lovers in both the current HARLEY QUINN comic book series (written by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiottti) as well as Marguerite Bennett's digital-first series DC’s BOMBSHELLS. It stands to reason that Ayer and his team will choose to ignore Ivy and Harley’s current relationship status, though perhaps GOTHAM CITY SIRENS will sow the seeds of this pairing, and explore its many possibilities should the film warrant a sequel.
2. Cameos
This one is a no brainer, as several noteworthy characters are featured throughout the GOTHAM CITY SIRENS comic book run. I’m not saying that Ayer and Robertson-Dworet should adhere strictly to the source material – hell, they probably won’t – but if they did, here are some characters you can expect to see: Batman, The Joker, Hush, The Riddler, as well as a few more. In fact, a major component of the series revolves around Harley putting her infatuation with The Joker to rest – if only for a short time. While Ms. Quinn might not ever escape the Clown Prince of Crime’s sadistic charms entirely, it would be interesting to see some follow-through from Harley’s faith in her puddin’ being shaken toward the finale of Ayer’s SUICIDE SQUAD. She loves her Laughing Man, no doubt, but can she ever really depend on him? I think it would be cool to explore that.
3. A Bigger, Better Gotham
If you really think about it, we haven’t seen much of Gotham City since the latest incarnation of the DCEU began. You’ll have to pardon me if I don’t know every street and chemical factory featured in MAN OF STEEL, BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE, or SUICIDE SQUAD, but I think it’s about time we got a good look at the storied city and all of its gothic glory. I think that part of what makes the Bat-verse so intriguing are Gotham’s many hideouts, rooftops, and shadowy, steam-choked alleyways. As a madcap adventure set to feature three women who’re looking to paint the town red, this film could serve as a fine opportunity to truly explore one of DC’s most iconic locales.
4. Family Ties
Perhaps there wouldn’t be any time for this, but one of the highlights of Dini’s GOTHAM CITY SIRENS was having the opportunity to return to Harley’s home. While there, Harleen interacts with her shiftless layabout of a brother, nieces, nephews, and one very peculiar mother. It’s a bit of a stretch, I know, but I think it would be very interesting to see one of our leading ladies return to her homestead. Including Harley’s family in the film could serve as an intriguing anchoring point for “Daddy’s Little Monster” – it might even give us a clue as to how she acquired that title. It stands to reason that if this film is meant to flesh out the histories and motivations of the Sirens, giving us a glimpse into Harley’s familial roots might be just what the doctor ordered.
5. Batman, Batman, Batman
Yes, the film is called GOTHAM CITY SIRENS, but that’s not to say that Batman can’t be a featured part of this project as well. As a matter of opinion, I’m not entirely certain that you can leave him out of it. Not only can the film serve as a jumping-on-point for Selina and Bruce’s peculiar and passionate partnership, it would also give us another opportunity to see The Dark Knight in hot pursuit of some of Gotham’s most notorious crime-seekers. I honestly can’t imagine that the Bat would simply allow these women to parade through the streets unchecked, so it stands to reason that he’ll show up in some capacity, right?
Personally, I’m very excited about this project. I’d like for the overall presentation of it to take on a lighter tone than we’ve experienced so far with Snyder’s vision of the DCEU, but still retain the humor and semi-lightheartedness of Ayer’s SUICIDE SQUAD. I’m thinking Stephen Soderbergh’s OCEAN'S ELEVEN meets Angela Robinson’s D.E.B.S..
With no release date yet announced for GOTHAM CITY SIRENS, and actors still being considered for the titular roles of both Poison Ivy and Catwoman, it might be a while before we hear of any real movement on this project. For now, we’ll have to wait for the next big headline to come bounding in, and hope that the movie gives three of DC’s best female villains the platform they deserve.