How kind of Warner Bros. to give us something to talk about besides that other clownishly dolled up villain making their way to theaters this coming weekend. After much waiting (well, for those of us who haven’t gone to theaters to see the exclusive teaser in front of It: Chapter Two, at least), the first full-length trailer for Birds Of Prey And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn has finally arrived. The trailer opens with Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn explaining the purpose of a harlequin: “A harlequin’s role is to serve. It’s nothin’ without a master.” That master would be one Mister J, aka the Joker, and the less said about him the better because A. no one likes Jared Leto’s Joker, and B. this movie is about Harley Quinn and her new crew of female antiheroes. More importantly, as clearly evidenced by this trailer, Birds Of Prey benefits immensely from the direction of Cathy Yan. Not unlike Lorene Scafaria’s Hustlers, there’s a noticeable shift in gaze at work—Harley Quinn is no longer a sexual object, but a living, breathing person with tangible flaws. No airbrushing and sugar-coating here, sugar.
Robbie returns to reprise her role from Suicide Squad—ideal, as she still resonates as, arguably, the best part of the 2016 film—and has teamed up with Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) for some much-needed mayhem. The film also stars Chris Messina and Ewan McGregor as Batman baddies Victor Zsasz and Black Mask, respectively, with Ali Wong and Rosie Perez.
The trailer arrives after the film’s official Twitter account teased a number of colorful movie posters. Note the film’s title presented as “Bop,” undoubtedly an ode to the classic teen heartthrob mags of our youth. Harley has never been the biggest fan of subtlety, so this approach is as bold as it is fitting:
Birds Of Prey hits theaters February 7, 2020.
Additional reporting by Shannon Miller.