‘Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)‘ was released this last weekend with a disappointing box office release which may have fans wondering how it could affect future films. The film’s writer, Christina Hodson, is letting audiences know that DC has an overall plan on how the movies tie together but doesn’t necessarily share all of the details with the writing team of each film. It seems that the writers mostly have creative control over their stories but how they tie them into a bigger picture? That is out of their hands and is dictated by DC executives.
This seems to be a little different from how Marvel Studios handles things with a larger group of writers that helps craft the larger narrative of the franchise.
In a recent interview with Comicbook.com, Hodson explained:
“Honestly, a lot of it is DC itself [being] the ones overseeing [the franchise]. Obviously, there’s been a change in leadership there. [President of DC Films] Walter Hamada really knows what he’s doing. He’s so good at his job. And he has a real love for these characters and for this material, so it’s looking to him more than anything. And obviously, with a lot of us, we’ve gotten to know each other, especially the writers, we all have friends now, which is lovely. We read each other’s stuff and help each other. But yeah, mostly it’s going through Walter and DC.”
With fans and critics loving this underperforming movie, you have to wonder if the framework laid out for future films could be in jeopardy. Only time, and likely box office results, will tell.
RELATED: Review: ‘Birds of Prey,’ Like Harley Quinn With A Bat, Is Hit And Miss
As to how ‘Birds of Prey’ is tied to the existing films? Hodson attempted to craft a story that wouldn’t rely on ‘Suicide Squad’ or knowing the characters but would also benefit from knowing the DC universe.
“I don’t want to spoil too much. I would say this is definitely a standalone movie. We always wanted it to be a story that feels like its own thing, its own contained story that if you’re a fan and you’ve seen some of the movies before, if you’ve already met Harley Quinn, but also if you’re brand-new to this universe, you can also come in and feel perfectly at home here. As a fan myself, I would like to hopefully list it with some funny threads that people are gonna like. But yeah, we’ll have to wait and see”
Are you at all surprised that DC doesn’t appear to have a creative team trying to craft and guide their overall cinematic narrative? Did you have a chance to check out ‘Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)’? If so, what do you think of its connections and groundwork to the rest of the DC films? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
‘Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)’ is currently in theaters everywhere!
