Film by Cathy Yan
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (also known as Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey, or simply Birds of Prey) is a 2020 American superhero film based on the DC Comics team the Birds of Prey. Directed by Cathy Yan and written by Christina Hodson, it is the eighth installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and serves as a spin-off and sequel to Suicide Squad (2016). The film stars Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn alongside Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Rosie Perez, Chris Messina, Ella Jay Basco, Ali Wong, and Ewan McGregor. It follows Harley Quinn, who, after breaking up with the Joker, is threatened by Gotham City crime lord Roman Sionis and joins forces with Helena Bertinelli, Dinah Lance, and Renee Montoya (who form the Birds of Prey) to save Cassandra Cain.
Robbie, who also served as producer, pitched the idea for Birds of Prey to Warner Bros. Pictures in 2015. The film was announced in May 2016, with Hodson being hired to write the script that November, followed by Yan signing on to direct in April 2018. The majority of the cast and crew were confirmed by December 2018. Principal photography lasted from January to April 2019 in Downtown Los Angeles, parts of the Los Angeles Arts District, and soundstages at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. Additional filming took place in September 2019.
Birds of Prey had its world premiere in Mexico City on January 25, 2020, and was released in the United States in IMAX, Dolby Cinema, ScreenX and 4DX on February 7. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, but was a box-office disappointment, grossing $205.5 million worldwide, falling short of its reported break-even point of $250–300 million.
Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.