Cathy Yan has been tapped as the director of Warner Bros. and DC Entertainments Birds of Prey, a female-ensemble film based on the 1996 comic book series, with Margot Robbie portraying Harley Quinn in the lead role, according to a report from Deadline.
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Cathy Yan is set to direct a #HarleyQuinn spin-off film based on the ‘Birds of Prey’ comic. https://t.co/rehzWYOwKJ
The announcement solidified Yan as the third woman, and second woman of color to direct a film in the DC Extended Universe. This powerhouse group of women include Patty Jenkins, director of the 2017 blockbuster Wonder Woman, and recently appointed director of New Gods Ava DuVernay, whose first big-budget film A Wrinkle in Time debuted at No. 2 in its opening weekend.
Robbie firmly stated that she wanted a woman to direct the picture. Yans indie film Dead Pigs won a World Cinema Dramatic Award for Ensemble Acting at the Sundance festival. However, her relatively new experience in directing appeared to have no impact in the decision as Deadline said that Yans pitch for the film surpassed expectations. Before making the jump to filmmaking, Yan was a reporter at The Wall Street Journal.
While no release date is confirmed, the film is expected to begin shooting in late 2018.
