DC Universe is about to launch its first original animated series in the form of Harley Quinn. It seems fitting that it's Harley who will be the face of this latest series - not only is the character one of the most popular with mainstream DC fans at the moment, but she made her debut in the world of DC on another cartoon: Batman The Animated Series, back in 1992.
Harley is certainly having a moment right now. She was one of the best-received parts of the DCEU Suicide Squad and Margot Robbie's interpretation will be returning to the big screen in Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn) early next year. In the comics, too, Quinn has been having a great run with her solo title, where she is currently undergoing trials to gain cosmic powers!
The Harley Quinn animated series was first announced in 2017, and since then, fans have been treated to an initial teaser trailer, followed by a full trailer debuted at SDCC 2019. While the details of the show are still being kept somewhat under wraps, here's everything that is currently known about the upcoming R-Rated DC Universe animation.
Harley Quinn Release Date Info
Harley Quinn will be hitting screens in Fall 2019, as was first announced by Kaley Cuoco (who voices Harley herself) in an Instagram post. She showed off the poster for the series, featuring a blood-spattered Harley wielding a baseball bat. The blood on her arm spells out 'fall 2019'. Courtesy of the DC Universe release timeline, it's clear that "Fall" means mid-October, although the exact release date has yet to be revealed. The first season of the show is expected to run until early 2020.
Harley Quinn will be available to stream on DC Universe (and subsequently HBO Max). It's unclear what the international distribution plan for the series is yet.
Harley Quinn Voice Cast
The star of the show will be Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory), who will be voicing Quinn herself. Alongside Cuoco will be Alan Tudyk as the Joker and Clayface, Sanaa Lathan as Catwoman, Lake Bell as Poison Ivy, Rahul Kohli as Scarecrow, James Wolk as Superman, and Vanessa Marshall as Wonder Woman. Sy Borgman will appear, voiced by Jason Alexander, and Tony Hale will be bringing Doctor Psycho to life. King Shark will be voiced by Ron Fuches, and Diedrich Bader will be back as Batman (having previously voiced the character in Batman: The Brave And The Bold).
Other big names coming to the show include Christopher Meloni as Commissioner James Gordon and the legendary Wanda Sykes as Queen of Fables. Finally, Giancarlo Esposito will be playing Lex Luthor, rounding out this incredible voice cast.
There are plenty of other characters who have also appeared in Harley Quinn trailers (including both Rogues' Gallery villains and a few other Justice League members) whose voice actors have not yet been named.
Harley Quinn Story Details
The official synopsis for the series focuses on Harley's desire to become part of the Legion Of Doom:
"The adult animated comedy series follows Harley’s adventures, where alongside a ragtag crew of DC castoffs, she tries to earn a seat at the biggest table in villainy: the Legion of the Doom."
While this may be the central plot, though, this is Harley - which means that she's hardly likely to stick to a logical plan to get from wherever she starts out to the Legion of Doom round table. Instead, it's likely that this series will be a wild ride through various insane plans, madcap schemes, and (hopefully) heartfelt relationship moments as well. Harley Quinn may be a villain, but in the comics, she is one that cares deeply about her friends, family, and home, and simply doesn't really see the point in following the rules.
Harley will also be appearing sans Joker in this series. Although Mr. J is going to be a part of the show, it has been confirmed that the series begins after Harley has broken up with her one-time puddin'. This is reaffirmed by the trailer, which shows Harley beating the bejeezus out of her ex-love. However, the footage does also show scenes of Harley's origin story, and another social media post from Cuoco included a shot of Harley with the Joker in her original costume, so it looks like there will also be quite a few flashback scenes of the two together.
More appealingly, on the relationship front, Poison Ivy and Catwoman going to be a big part of the series. In the comics, Harley and Catwoman are close friends, and Harley and Ivy are in a romantic relationship (albeit a long-distance one). One scene in the trailer shows some real sexual tension between Harley and Ivy as they fall to the floor together, so fans may soon see the comic couple get together on the small screen.
Romance aside, Batman will also be playing a key part in Harley Quinn in what may also be a pair-up taken from the comics, where Harley occasionally helps out the Bat (usually a little too enthusiastically for his liking). While these two are definitely still on opposite sides of the law, they have a fantastic buddy-cop chemistry when together, so it's hopeful that this is going to come through in the animation as well. Perhaps Harley will end up teaming up with Bats against the Joker, or perhaps she will simply be outwitting him as she pursues that elusive Legion of Doom membership.
While plot details beyond this are unknown at the moment, what is definitely confirmed is the overall tone of the show. This is not going to be a kids' cartoon, by any stretch of the imagination. The Harley Quinn trailer includes plenty of violence and swearing, which suits the character down to the ground.