With all the shake-ups at DC Studios right now, it’s hard to tell what the future holds in the DCU. And it’s probably too early to tell at this point too.  James Gunn and Peter Safran have only been in their new jobs as studio co-heads for a month, with scrapped movies and recasting rumors galore. The only certainty is that DC fans will get a confirmed plan in due time, but not anytime soon.

Continue reading Margot Robbie Wants Harley Quinn & Poison Ivy’s Queer Romance On The Big Screen Someday at The Playlist.

Actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead started out her film career playing the daughter of Bruce Willis‘ John McClane in “Live Free or Die Hard, but has carved out a big career since then, including the action genre. Ater playing badass DC Comics character The Huntress in Cathy Yan‘s “Birds of Prey,” Winstead has taken the action side of her career even recently, further working with producer David Leitch for the Netflix action thriller,”Kate.”

READ MORE: ‘Lovecraft Country’s Misha Green Writing A ‘Black Canary’ Project For Jurnee Smollett

While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Winstead was asked about the likelihood of returning the Huntress role in the wake of the news of the studio making a “Black Canary” movie led by her co-star Jurnee Smollett and written by Misha Green (“Tomb Raider 2,” “Lovecraft Country“).

Continue reading Mary Elizabeth Winstead Says She’s Ready & Willing To Reprise Huntress Role at The Playlist.

WarnerMedia loves to develop a heap of DC Comics projects, and it sounds like we’ll be getting another one. A report from the usually reliable Cinelinx states that Misha Green (“Lovecraft Country“) is currently writing a project (could be a film or series) that will focus on Jurnee Smollett‘s Black Canary from “Birds of Prey.” The pair had previously worked together on “Lovecraft Country,” so a reunion would make sense on paper.

Continue reading ‘Lovecraft Country’s Misha Green Writing A ‘Black Canary’ Project For Jurnee Smollett at The Playlist.

The future of Margot Robbie‘s DC Comics character Harley Quinn is a little unclear at the moment, outside of her upcoming appearance in James Gunn‘s “The Suicide Squad,” a sort of soft reboot-y sequel to the David Ayer film from 2016. While Cathy Yan‘s “Birds of Prey” was originally billed as a solo Harley Quinn film, it ultimately became another group lineup with Quinn partnering up with female characters such as Huntress, Black Canary, Renee Montoya, and the young Cassandra Cain. 

Continue reading Margot Robbie Suggests Harley Quinn Is Better In A “Group Dynamic” Rather Than A Solo Film at The Playlist.

Coming off the box office success of Sony‘s “Bad Boys For Life,” directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah were scooped up by Marvel Studios for their “Ms. Marvel” series for Disney+ and would help the studio bring fangirl-turned-superhero Kamala Khan, to life. Now, Warner Bros., and DC Films have tapped the duo to bring another well-known female superhero to the big screen.

Continue reading ‘Batgirl’: Warner Bros. Hires ‘Ms. Marvel’ Directors Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah To Tackle HBO Max Superhero Movie at The Playlist.

If it’s February it’s time for guild nominations! Wait, isn’t February when the winners are announced? Well, not in this pandemic timeline. This morning the Art Directors Guild revealed their nominees for the 2021 ADG Awards and there were few surprises as the artists behind “Birds of Prey,” “Mank,” “The Mandalorian,” “The Crown” and “The Queen’s Gambit” were all recognized.

READ MORE: “Minari” and “The Crown” rule the 2021 SAG Awards nominations [Full List]

Some standout nominees include Beyonce’s “Black is King” in the Variety Special category (a strange category for the film, it’s up against the Democratic National Convention telecast), “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” in Contemporary Film, “The Flight Attendant” in Contemporary One-Hour Series, and the video for Taylor Swift’s “Cardigan” in the Web Series, Music Video or Commercial category.

Continue reading ‘Birds of Prey,’ ‘Black Is King’ & ‘Promising Young Woman’ Among 2021 Art Directors Guild Awards at The Playlist.

For many people, the name Cathy Yan automatically brings to mind “Birds of Prey.” That makes sense, considering for years, that is the only film that the young filmmaker has released. But you see, “Birds of Prey” isn’t her first film. No, that distinction belongs to the Sundance award-winning satire, “Dead Pigs,” which is finally getting distributed three years after its festival debut, courtesy of MUBI.

Continue reading Cathy Yan Talks ‘Dead Pigs’ Hitting Streaming & How Her Journalism Past Is Shaping Her Future In Film [The Playlist Podcast] at The Playlist.

If there is any category that was full of surprises on Oscar’s shortlist day, it’s Visual Effets. To say there were unexpected selections and a slew of snubs is a major understatement. Of course, expected contenders “Tenet,” “Mank” and “Birds of Prey” made the cut, but that was about it.

READ MORE: “Minari” and “The Crown” rule 2021 SAG Awards nominations

An animated film, “Soul,” is among the 10 qualifiers as is the documentary “Welcome to Chechnya.” The biggest snub has to be “Wonder Woman 1984” with other VFX spectacles “Greyhound,” “The Call of the Wild,” “The Old Guard,” “New Mutants,” “Monster Hunter” and “Dolittle” all on the outside looking in.

Continue reading ‘Tenet,’ ‘Welcome to Chechnya’ Make Oscars Visual Effects Shortlist at The Playlist.

Over the course of only two feature films, Cathy Yan has already amassed an interesting journey for any filmmaker. From beginning on a critically acclaimed Sundance award-winning film, “Dead Pigs,” which was sitting on the shelf for three years to then moving to a massive superhero film like “Birds of Prey,” she’s experienced quite a bit of what Hollywood and the film industry has to offer, specifically when it comes to challenges.

Continue reading Cathy Yan Talks About ‘Dead Pigs’ Finally Coming To The U.S. & The Challenges Working On ‘Birds Of Prey’ at The Playlist.

Though certain segments of social media might disagree, it’s always a good thing when there are more inclusivity and diversity in the film industry. This is just a fact. More perspectives mean more stories and more interesting films. And thankfully, as a new study points out, in terms of female representation behind the camera, the film industry continues to gain more inclusivity.

READ MORE: The 25 Best Films Of 2020

A new study from San Diego State University claims that the total number of female directors and female filmmakers (in general) grew in 2020 from previous highs in 2019.

Continue reading Female Directors Helmed More Major Films Than Ever Before In 2020 at The Playlist.

I’ve been holed up in Brooklyn since early March, save a few treks across state lines via rental car, and on each of those trips I’ve been sure to visit a drive-in. That’s how I caught “Jaws” on the Fourth of July, and “Boys State” and “The Rental.” But half of the movies on this, my top 10 favorite movies of 2020 list, are ones that I saw in honest-to-god theaters way back in the spring. 

Continue reading Lena Wilson’s Best Films Of 2020 at The Playlist.

It was admittedly hard to express a lot of interest in new films when my brain was just that gif of Dorinda from “Real Housewives of New York” spitting, “I’ll tell you how I’m doing! Not well, bitch!” playing on a loop. Film felt frivolous, with the collapse of many industries, the rise in homelessness, the lack of leadership, the absence of infrastructure to support and protect people, and continued racial injustice waking people up to systems and paradigms of inequity.

Continue reading Kyle Turner’s Best Films Of 2020 at The Playlist.

Despite what flashy headlines at The Verge would have you believe, the lack of Marvel movies did not leave a void in 2020 — especially because we got “Birds of Prey” to kick some serious ass early in the year. Sadly, the film wasn’t as successful as studio executives wanted it to be, because star and producer Margot Robbie says there are no plans for a sequel at this time.

Continue reading ‘Birds Of Prey’: There Are No Current Plans For A Sequel, Says Margot Robbie at The Playlist.

Over the past couple of weeks, there has been increased discussion regarding Director’s Cuts of DC superhero films, thanks in no small part to HBO Max’s upcoming 2021 release of “Zack Snyder’s Justice League.” We’ve seen the discussion include David Ayer and his much-maligned “Suicide Squad,” and now, Cathy Yan and “Birds of Prey.” However, in the latter’s case, it appears the filmmaker has no interest in hearing rumors regarding what was cut from her version of the superhero film from earlier this year.

Continue reading Cathy Yan Suggests WB Messed With ‘Birds Of Prey’; YouTuber Peddling Related Rumors Caught In Crosshairs at The Playlist.

When it comes to popular culture, the “meek” have already inherited the Earth. This is a sentiment you see echoed during conversations about contemporary fandom and the state of the superhero movies. While comic books have historically been a form of escape for outsider “geeks” on the fringes, they are now positively mainstream and a driving force in pop culture. This gives fandom enormous power in the eyes of the marketing executives, especially when it comes to contentious projects, such as a director’s cut of “Justice League” from director Zack Snyder.

Continue reading ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ Raises Questions About Fandom & The Future Of Film at The Playlist.

Twenty years ago, the general audience wouldn’t really hear or care about box office numbers. But the age of the Internet has turned movie production and box office results into a game of narratives and how opening weekend numbers or re-shoots definitely make or break a movie.

READ MORE: ‘Birds Of Prey’ Director Hopes The Film Can “Bring Some Light” To People Right Now On VOD

One film that for its box office results blown out of proportion was the female-led “Birds of Prey” which didn’t exactly break records, but was labeled as a commercial disappointment despite a successful run (before theaters shut down due to a pandemic and all that).

Continue reading ‘Birds Of Prey’ Director Cathy Yan Is Disappointed Over Box Office Narratives at The Playlist.

Despite pretty solid reviews, Warner Bros.’ recent superhero film, “Birds of Prey” (or “Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey,” if you follow box office news), didn’t have a great theatrical run. The film debuted at #1 but failed to excite the fanbase in a way that superhero films bank on. And before the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic shut down theaters around the world, ‘Birds’ barely was able to cross the $200 million milestone globally, which is a mark many thought the film would achieve in a matter of days.

Continue reading ‘Birds Of Prey’ Director Hopes The Film Can “Bring Some Light” To People Right Now On VOD at The Playlist.

Coronavirus might spell doom for theaters, but not just with closures. Disney teased the notion of breaking the theatrical window agreement between theaters and studios by releasing “Frozen II” pretty early on Disney+. However, Universal is the studio that opened the floodgates by announcing VOD releases of “The Invisible Man,” “The Hunt,” and more mere days after they hit theaters.

Continue reading ‘Birds Of Prey’ Hitting VOD Next Week, Just Over 6 Weeks After Theatrical Release at The Playlist.

Six months ago, the idea that “Sonic the Hedgehog” would have not only scored decent reviews but also would go on to have the biggest box office debut ever for a video game adaptation would have been laughable. But yet, here we are, halfway through February, and the blue hedgehog has shocked the world, in more ways than one.

Debuting in the #1 spot this President’s Day weekend, “Sonic the Hedgehog” not only turned in a record-breaking three-day total of $58 million at the box office but actually earned a shocking $70 million after the extended four-day holiday frame.

Continue reading ‘Sonic’ Speeds Past Records With $70M Weekend & ‘Parasite’ Gets A Generous Post-Oscars Box Office Bump at The Playlist.

Sure, “Birds of Prey” isn’t the first, and won’t be the last, film to get a title change after it hit theaters. Just in recent years, that distinction has gone to “Ghostbusters: Answer the Call” and “Live Die Repeat” (aka “Edge of Tomorrow”). But the interesting thing about “Birds of Prey” is how quickly the title changed, and how it’s obvious that Warner Bros.

Continue reading WB Gives The Real Reason Why ‘Birds Of Prey’ Changed Its Title — SEO at The Playlist.

After watching the film, there’s no doubt that “Birds of Prey” is less of a team-up film than it is a straight-up Harley Quinn solo project with a little help from her friends. And with a disastrous box office debut behind it, Warner Bros. is ready to try just about anything to get “Birds of Prey” back on track, even if it means changing the title.

READ MORE: ‘Birds Of Prey’ Fails To Take Flight With Terrible $33M Box Office Opening

As many noticed when they went to their local multiplex’s website, WB has officially changed the title of “Birds of Prey” to “Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey.” The move comes after the film opened with the worst box office debut ever for a DCEU film ($33 million).

Continue reading WB Changes The Title Of ‘Birds Of Prey’ After Terrible Box Office Debut at The Playlist.

“Birds of Prey” just got its box office wings clipped. And in pretty shocking fashion.

For weeks, many were predicting that Warner Bros.’ superhero film, “Birds of Prey,” which sees Margot Robbie don the makeup and play Harley Quinn for the first time since 2016’s “Suicide Squad,” would kick off February as a major box office force. Then, last week, the reviews were published and, for the most part, critics loved the film (it currently sits at 80% on Rotten Tomatoes).

Continue reading ‘Birds Of Prey’ Fails To Take Flight With Terrible $33M Box Office Opening at The Playlist.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has trained audiences to expect a certain amount of consistency between films, even if they’re different franchises. “Doctor Strange” might have a different coat of paint than “Ant-Man,” but the engine underneath is very much Marvel Studios. And while that’s part of the success of the films, the uniformity and quality control, the MCU does get criticized for feeling a bit same-same.

Continue reading ‘Birds Of Prey’ Director Says WB’s “Different Strategy” For Its Cinematic Universe Is “Liberating” For Filmmakers at The Playlist.

The 2020 Sundance Film Festival has come to a close, the upcoming Oscars are either going to leave us uniformly happy (if “Parasite” wins and makes history) or enrage us (please, no surprise “Joker” Best Picture win), and then we’ll have a mild break before the Berlin Film Festival and SXSW adds to our “must-see” lists. It’s nice to take the very brief down period amidst the Oscar buzz and such to either play catch up or to see films that might not normally be on your immediate list—especially in a month like February, where there are more than usual offerings for films directed by women, ones that range the spectrum from superhero fare to romance and thrillers. 

Continue reading 9 Films To Watch In February: ‘Birds Of Prey,’ ‘Portrait Of A Lady,’ ‘Invisible Man’ & More at The Playlist.

A deliriously batshit mess of pop-art spectacle—spray paint, glitter, lipstick, neon, and blood, that’s not without some value— including a funhouse mirror third act of cartoonish, murderous pandemonium that’s quite entertaining if you surrender to the mayhem, Warner Bros.’ cheeky, unapologetically brassy “Birds Of Prey” is super overwrought and sometimes exasperating. But at the very least, there’s never a dull moment in the colorful chaos.

Heavily indebted to an adrenalized version of the mix and match, collage-y time structure of “Pulp Fiction”—which the movie feels like it leans on whenever possible—borrowing the smash-and-grab titles sequence ideas and incessant needle drops from “Suicide Squad,” while throwing in a little Joel Schumacher-era “Batman & Robin” absurdity and campy flair in for good measure, “Birds Of Prey” is hyper affected, and a little more than obnoxious in its first half.

Continue reading ‘Birds Of Prey’: Harley Quinn Is Emancipated In A Violent, Messy Pop-Art Spectacle [Review] at The Playlist.