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Ladies Only: Margot Robbie’s ‘Suicide Squad’ Spin-Off And ‘Men In Black 4’ Go ‘Ghostbusters’

By Dustin Kemp
Published on: 16:19 PST, May 17, 2016

A Suicide Squad spin-off featuring Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn character was recently announced, adding to the recent trend of movies to have a cast made up of only ladies, suggesting an emerging trend of only-female movie casts.

The trailer for a Ghostbusters was announced back in March. Horrifically negative reactions aside, many reviewers noted it was innovative for including an all-female cast. It was not a huge surprise, though, as director Paul Feig had already executed a very successful ladies only film venture with his 2011 Bridesmaids.

As they say, though, any press is good press, and the massive amount of exposure Ghostbusters got when its trailer dropped may have been what inspired the producers of Men in Black 4 to shoot for the same “ladies only” concept.

When discussing their quest to cast Selena Gomez for the leading role, a source close to the production told Hollywood Life that Ghostbusters had been the direct inspiration for the ladies only call.

“Sony is going to look real close on how Ghostbusters ends up doing at the box office and then push from there with a potential female duo for the future of the Men in Black franchise.”

The source added that a young and attractive ladies only leading cast would freshen the series up and give it a rejuvenated feel.

Now, another major blockbuster looks to be jumping onto the ladies only casting train – Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn film, which will be a spin-off of the still-to-be-released Suicide Squad.

It was apparently Robbie herself who proposed the ladies only superhero movie, and Warner Bros., along with DC comics, jumped at the idea.

Robbie will not be the only female lead in the movie, though. A whole ensemble of female supers, including a variety of ladies, both heroes and villains, from the DC cinematic universe, will join Harley Quinn in the spectacle. It is unknown exactly what ladies will be present, but MTV reports ideas concerning the inclusion of both Batgirl and the Birds of Prey – DC’s huge all-female Superhero team that includes Poison Ivy, Black Canary, Hawkgirl, and Catwoman, to name only a few – have been thrown around in ongoing talks at the studio.

Even the crew will be led by ladies, the report notes, as an unnamed female has been hired as the lead scriptwriter and Margot Robbie herself is set to produce the flick.

It is not exactly shocking that Robbie wants this ladies only comic book drama made, because she has long been an active supporter of feminism and ladies’ empowerment, something she showed in spades when she punched her male co-star during a sex scene only to demonstrate girl power during the filming of The Legend of Tarzan, another Margot Robbie film to be released this Summer.

So what exactly does this emerging trend of ladies only casts, such as those of Ghostbusters, Men in Black 4, and the unnamed Suicide Squad spin-off, mean for the movie business? As the source speaking to Hollywood Life alluded to, it is hard to tell, as none of the said films have actually been released yet. If they are commercially successful when they are released, it would be only natural to assume that Hollywood will jump on the ladies only train; large financial gains seem to be a fairly effective motive for the big movie studios. So basically, we will have a lot clearer of an idea whether the ladies only fad will take off after the release of Ghostbusters on July 15.

Speaking of release dates, Suicide Squad will hit theaters on August 5, and dates for Men in Black 4 and the Robbie’s ladies only comic book adaptation have not been announced.

Are you excited to see more ladies only casts in upcoming movies? Do you think the gambit will result in financial success? What do you think are the draws of the ladies only format?

[Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP]

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DC Comics ghostbusters feminism Margot Robbie Harley Quinn Suicide Squad
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