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Margot Robbie made waves when she appeared as Harley Quinn in “Suicide Squad.” Her performance led to receiving a solo Quinn movie called “Birds of Prey,” which went through a title change.
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“Birds of Prey” featured DC heroes like The Huntress, Black Canary, and more. The villain from the film was none other than Black Mask, a longtime villain in the expansive Batman Rogues Gallery.
Ewan McGregor portrayed the DC villain, but he was apparently not the big baddie the anti-heroes were supposed to battle against. Robbie made a shocking admission that the original script featured The Penguin in the main villain role.
“The first draft that Christina [Hodson] wrote of Birds of Prey, the villain was the Penguin,” she told Farrell in an interview for Entertainment Weekly. “And then [The Batman director/writer] Matt Reeves said, ‘Don’t use the Penguin. I’m going to use him in my thing.’ And so we swapped it to Black Mask [played by Ewan McGregor].”
Robbie stated that “Birds of Prey” would have featured the Penguin, but “The Batman” director Matt Reeves intervened and stated that he wanted to use the villain in his own plans.
The swap was the right move, as Reeves brought in Colin Ferrell, who blew everyone away with his portrayal of Oswald “Oz” Cobb. Complete with an incredible makeup job, Ferrell became a completely different person, and iteration of the legendary Batman villain.
“The Batman” introduced the world to the Penguin, and Reeves chose to expand on his story in “The Penguin.” The limited series showcased Oz’s rise in Gotham following the events of “The Batman.”
The limited series led to multiple awards, including a Golden Globe win for Ferrell as Oz and a nomination for Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone.
James Gunn Drops Major Hint at Margot Robbie Returning to DCU
There is no telling if Robbie will return to the DCU as Harley Quinn, but James Gunn recently hinted at that fact by saying her potential involvement will be “revealed down the line.”
Though Robbie’s Quinn did not get to meet Ferrell’s Penguin, they may just meet yet.
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