Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn Almost Got A Movie With DC's Most Controversial Character

This summer, the brand reputation of DC Comics on the big screen will hopefully be rehabilitated with the release of James Gunn's "Superman." The film is the first big screen entry in the new DCU, and will set the foundation for what's to come, after a decade of constant hit-or-miss projects from the now-defunct DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The DCEU kicked off in 2013 with Zack Snyder's "Man of Steel," and in the years following that film's release, this shared universe struggled significantly due to inconsistent quality amongst its releases. Perhaps the worst DCEU film comes in the form of "Suicide Squad," which hit theaters in 2016, just a couple of months after "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" released to negative critical reception and polarized responses from audiences.

Directed by David Ayer (although he has since disowned the film), "Suicide Squad" sought to be an exciting, original new cinematic entry in the canon of comic book cinema, especially for DC. Two years prior, Marvel Studios released James Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy," which became a runaway success, turning previously unknown characters into household names. While Warner Bros. intended for "Suicide Squad" to leave a similar impact on audiences, the film turned out to be a hot mess of epic proportions. However, one of the few shining spots in the film came in the form of one Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), who was widely considered amongst both critics and audiences as a brilliant casting choice. The popularity of Harley Quinn led to numerous projects that were in development for the DCEU, and although she would appear in at least two more films, there was one particular project that, in some ways, we should be thankful never made it past the written page.

Despite the critical drubbing that "Suicide Squad' received, Warner Bros. and DC Films saw potential in more films featuring both Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn and Jared Leto's Joker. The DCEU had ambitions to further expand its universe, and given the popularity of Batman as a property, more stories set within the world of Gotham City were a given. One of the many films that were in development for the DCEU was a Joker and Harley Quinn movie that was to be written and directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa ("Crazy Stupid Love"). The film was to further explore the couple's twisted love story, which was barely touched upon in "Suicide Squad."

However, this project never made it beyond the developmental stage. Ultimately, Margot Robbie and Jared Leto never appeared onscreen together as Harley Quinn and the Joker, respectively, ever again. Robbie would return as the character in two more films: Cathy Yan's "Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)" and James Gunn's "The Suicide Squad." "Birds of Prey" in particular would make a definitive statement on Leto's Joker, specifically that Harley broke up with him, further establishing herself as an independent agent of chaos.

While Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn is one of the few remnants of the DCEU that is looked back on fondly, Jared Leto's Joker stands out as perhaps the franchise's most controversial and critically reviled character. Although fans were intrigued by his initial casting, his portrayal in "Suicide Squad" stands out as the worst Joker performance in a film. Leto would reprise his role as the Joker one more time in "Zack Snyder's Justice League," and would only be indirectly referenced one last time in James Gunn's "The Suicide Squad" in a darkly hilarious monologue powerfully delivered by Harley Quinn.

Although Margot Robbie and Jared Leto never starred together in a romance film as Harley Quinn and Joker, respectively, a film centered on the two characters was eventually produced. Last Autumn, Warner Bros. Pictures released Todd Phillips' "Joker: Folie a Deux," which was the sequel to the blockbuster 2019 film "Joker," starring Joaquin Phoenix in an Academy Award-winning performance. The sequel saw Phoenix's Arthur Fleck/Joker paired up with Harley "Lee" Quinzel (Lady Gaga), and was a musical drama exploring their relationship.

Although Warner Bros. dodged the bullet that was the proposed DCEU romance film starring Margot Robbie and Jared Leto, they ended up taking one with "Joker: Folie a Deux," which was, by all accounts, a cinematic failure. Critics were not kind (although /Film's review gives a compelling argument for the film's merits), and fans of the 2019 film were particularly enraged, which led to it becoming a major box office flop.

James Gunn's new DCU is wiping the slate (mostly) clean, with some carryovers from the previous DCEU, such as John Cena's Peacemaker. Given Peacemaker's ties to Gunn's "The Suicide Squad," some fans are still holding out hope for Margot Robbie's return as Harley Quinn, although Robbie seems ready to pass the torch. That being said, we for sure will not see Jared Leto reprise his role as the Joker, especially given recent allegations that have been made public against the actor.