Writer/director James Gunn says Harley Quinn’s costume in Idris Elba’s Bloodsport.
Thanks to her chaotic and charming performance, Robbie’s Harley is one of the DCEU's most popular characters. Naturally, the Joker’s ex would be featured in the film. Before its August release, The Suicide Squad's final trailer recently made its way online. On top of showing the DC villains battling a starfish, it showcased Pete Davidson’s Black Guard, Sylvester Stallone’s King Shark, and Elba’s Bloodsport, who was incarcerated after shooting Superman with a Kryptonite bullet. The trailer also gave fans a few glimpses of Harley’s new black-on-red leather costume, which Gunn says was inspired by a DC video game franchise.
In an exclusive trailer breakdown with IGN, Gunn said the Arkham video game series inspired him to come up with Harley’s new suit. Her leather ensemble and red pageant dress shown in the trailer are a far cry from the “Daddy’s Lil’ Monster” tee she wore in Ayer’s film. Apparently, Gunn did his research to concoct her new one. Check out what he said below:
“The truth is I had a huge map of different books of Harley Quinn throughout the years in various media, and one of them I liked the best was the Arkham games look of Harley Quinn. Her first look in the movie is based on that.”
Gunn said one of the things he got asked most about before he was hired was “what is Margot going to wear?” and whether or not he was bringing Harley’s red and black wardrobe into the movies. The director went on to talk about how he wanted to have something written on the back of Harley’s leather jacket, narrowing it down to three options: “Clown AF,” “World’s Best Grandpa,” and “Live Fast, Die Clown.” While it’s difficult to see in the trailers, the latter option won out. The particular look Gunn refers to—which draws inspiration from 2011’s Batman: Arkham City—can be seen around the 50-second mark in the new trailer when Harley hops aboard a military chopper and gives a pretty understandable excuse for being late.
As the ubiquitous Harley, Robbie appears to be picking up right where she left off playing in Suicide Squad and 2020’s Birds of Prey. Like Bloodsport’s Superman reference, it remains to be seen if The Suicide Squad mentions anything about Harley’s history with Batman, the Joker, or within the larger DCEU. Gunn has spoken on the amount of creative freedom he was allowed when making The Suicide Squad, insinuating that not all of these characters will make it out alive. Even if she’s not the film’s focus, Harley is set to steal the show in some major action sequences, an interesting dynamic with Rick Flag (among other things), and a wardrobe that pays homage to some of her best outings in popular culture.
Source: IGN
