Margot Robbie Loves Harley Quinn, Joker Spin-off Idea: Will ‘Suicide Squad’ Character Appear On ‘Gotham’?

Suicide Squad may have been severely panned, but Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn portrayal has received nothing but praise. Armed with this knowledge, the Australian actress is actively campaigning for a spin-off movie while Fox is angling to incorporate the unhinged anti-hero into Gotham’s storyline. Is it possible that we will see Harleen Quinzel in Gotham Season 3?

Despite the heavy criticism, Suicide Squad opened to an impressive $135.1 million domestically, breaking the record for best August opening weekend ever and beating Guardians of the Galaxy’s 2014 record of $94.3 million

SPOILER ALERT!!

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Margot Robbie is lobbying for a spin-off movie that would focus exclusively on Harley Quinn and the Joker’s relationship. Margot spoke to Tipsy Talk on Sunday, and while sipping Mimosa’s with host Hazel Hayes, she mentioned that she would like to explore more of the back story behind their complicated connection. “There’s just so much more to do,” she said.

Those who were unhappy with Jared Leto’s lack of screentime will agree, given all of the hype and comparisons of his depiction of the “Clown Prince of Crime” to that of the late Heath Ledger’s performance.

Dan Ayer acknowledged that the Joker only had 10 to 12 minutes of screen time, and the writer-director explained in an interview with Collider that in order to have a cohesive storyline, a lot of cool scenes had to be sacrificed.

“We have a chunk, there’s definitely over 10 minutes of material on there. But this cut of the movie is my cut, there’s no sort of parallel universe version of the movie. That’s one of the toughest things about writing, shooting, and directing a film, is you end up with these orphans and you f*cking love them and you think they’d be amazing scenes and do these amazing things but the film is a dictatorship (laughs), not a democracy, and just because something’s cool and charismatic doesn’t mean it gets to survive in the final cut. The flow of the movie is the highest master.”

Indeed, one can imagine how difficult it would be to cram such a complicated and sordid love story into a movie that also features an A-list ensemble (Will Smith, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Joel Kinnaman, and Cara Delevigne, just to name a few) with characters that require an explanation as well. That is precisely why Margot Robbie and others are clamoring for a movie focused on the origins of Mistah J and Dr. Harleen Quinzel.

The end of Suicide Squad saw the Joker breaking Harley Quinn out of prison, which screams “spin-off” and gives fans hope that they will see how their twisted relationship developed. There is an endearing appreciation toward an homage to artist Alex Rossi’s iconic “Tango With Evil” cover in the movie, making any criticism of the film secondary.

Honestly it’s worth seeing #SuicideSquad for Joker & Harley. There’s a one shot Alex Ross homage that made my life. pic.twitter.com/z7fMc9lIAV

— Chris Callahan (@rgb_alpha) August 5, 2016

Gotham executive producer Johns Stephens said he plans to introduce Harley Quinn and Killer Croc (played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje in the Suicide Squad movie) into the show’s plot, reports Refinery29. While it is highly unlikely that Margot Robbie will reprise her role as Harley Quinn for Gotham, Stephens said there is an early incarnation of the DC Comics villain that will appear in an upcoming season.

“We’ll be seeing proto-versions of some of those characters,” he added. “We’ll see a proto Killer Croc version. And we’ll be seeing a character, perhaps not this season but in times to come, who can be a forerunner of Harley Quinn, which will be fun.”

What is even more intriguing is the idea that Jerome Valeska and Harley Quinn might cross paths on Gotham in the near future. Not enough has been said about how well Cameron Monaghan (Shameless) spawned the essence of the Joker, particularly in his short-lived appearance in Season 2. Now that the matricidal delinquent has been resurrected by Dr. Hugo Strange and has escaped with the other Arkham Asylum inmates, Stephens guarantees he will be a constant source of irritation for the citizens of Gotham, reports TV Guide.

“We’ve really imagined developing the myth of the Joker at the same time we’re developing the myth of Batman. We really want it to stretch over multiple seasons.

How soon will we see Harley Quinn again on the small and big screen is unknown, but Gotham premieres Monday, Sept. 19 on Fox.

[Image via Warner Bros.]