DC's Birds of Prey movie will reportedly complete principal photography in April 2019. The film will see Margot Robbie reprise the role of Harley Quinn, a part she played to popular acclaim in 2016's Suicide Squad. Although that movie was heavily criticized, Robbie's portrayal was tremendously popular, and she's set to play a major part in the upcoming all-female superhero/antihero movie.

Birds of Prey is expected to be very different to the traditional DC film, and will reportedly be aiming for an R-rating. Although most of the action will be in Gotham City, Batman won't be in it; instead, Robbie will be joined by Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress and Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Black Canary. Cassandra Cain will be played by newcomer Ella Jay Basco. It's been confirmed that filming will start in mid-January in Los Angeles.

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Christopher Marc of HN Entertainment has reported that principal photography will wrap up in mid-April. Although this is unconfirmed, it's notable that Marc was the one who first broke the date Birds of Prey would begin filming, so he clearly has good contacts in Warner Bros.. Given that's the case, this is presumably a reliable report.

First accounts have described this film as very different to the Birds of Prey comic, which saw Barbara Gordon team up with Huntress and Black Canary as crimefighters in Gotham City. It seems that the DCEU version of Birds of Prey will be a girl gang formed by Harley Quinn herself. According to a rumored synopsis, Harley has split up with the Joker and forms the team in order to save the life of a little girl, Cassandra Cain, from an evil crime lord. Surprisingly little information has leaked about the plot so far, but it's generally believed the Black Mask will be the main villain.

The DCEU began with big-name heroes like Superman and Batman at the forefront, but its future seems to lie with lesser-known characters. Wonder Woman proved the franchise's potential by grossing over $800 million worldwide, and Aquaman has been a surprising hit. It's reportedly on track to exceed $1 billion at the global box office; there's a clear demand for brand new superhero franchises. An R-rated Birds of Prey, featuring the craziness and zaniness of Harley Quinn, is sure to appeal to the same comic book fans who turned up to make the Deadpool franchise a hit in the cinemas. If the latest films are anything to go by, Birds of Prey will be only loosely connected to the rest of the DCEU, standing on its own two feet - and hopefully succeeding tremendously well.

Source: HN Entertainment

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