Should Margot Robbie Accept the Controversial Role of Harley Quinn in “Suicide Squad?”
That news comes just days after a report that Jared Leto would play the Joker in the film due in 2016. Other talent rumored to be involved with Training Day director David Ayer’s Suicide Squad — presumably part of the larger DC Comics “universe” that Warner Bros. is building with Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice — includes Tom Hardy and Will Smith.Harley Quinn is a relatively new addition to the Batman canon, having been introduced in the 1992 TV ‘toon Batman: The Animated Series. Her instant popularity won her a spot in the comic books, where we learned that she was an Arkham Asylum analyst who took on the Joker’s case, only to be immediately lulled into a submissive relationship with The Clown Prince of Crime.It’ll be interesting to see how Ayers handles the Harley Quinn role, at a time when popular culture — and the superhero genre in particular — is being scrutinized through a feminist prism on a minute-by-minute basis. The Joker’s abusive nature certainly isn’t lost on his girlfriend, who vacillates between standing up to her abuser and masochistically relishing said abuse.How much of that will the bloggerati stand for? Harley Quinn is a fan-favorite — she’s one of the most popular female cosplay characters and has potential to break out with an actress of Robbie’ stature under the makeup and jester bells — but a step in the wrong direction could be disastrous in this hypersensitive climate.Warner Bros. will be wise to keep a close eye on how this character develops, and we’ll be doing the same with Suicide Squad if they keep adding this level of talent. Between Leto, Robbie and possibly Hardy, the project has drawn a bead on three undeniably hot young stars of the moment.
Robbie’s breakout came in Wolf of Wall Street, another film where her character suffered much at the hands of a psychotic significant other. She’ll next appear alongside Chris Pine and Chiwetel Ejiofor in the post-nuclear war film Z is for Zacharaiah which, coincidentally, released a first-look image on Monday, below.
Chris Pine, Margot Robbie and Margot Robbie and Chiwetel Ejiofor in “Z is for Zachariah.”
Image: Lotus Entertainment
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