Comic book fans got a shock this week when Joel Schumacher—known for directing the miserable Batman & Robin chapter in the caped crusader's film catalogue—revealed that he had a sequel planned, with Courtney Love as Harley Quinn.
It's not a total surprise. There were already rumors at the time that Madonna had been in contact with Schumacher about possibly taking on the role, but he revealed that Love had met him with regards to possibly appearing in Batman Unchained, the theoretical sequel to the George Clooney-era Batman franchise. Alas (and probably fortunately), the project was cancelled when Batman & Robin fell flat.
"I think she had heard about the possibility of Harley Quinn being in the new Batman and was thinking she would be good for it," Mark Protosevich, a screenwriter told The Hollywood Reporter. "But we didn't really talk about that. We talked about a lot of other things. It was certainly one of the better lunches I've ever had in my career in show business."
According to Schumacher, Quinn would have been the "standout character" in the film, featuring changes of hearts and complex emotions. Admittedly, Love probably would have been an ideal casting choice for the role...physically, mentally, and otherwise.
This revelation from Schumacher only leads us into more questions however. If Harley Quinn is a character, that must mean The Joker would have returned to the Batman film universe, right? Considering how well the character has been represented in other films (from Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger...with high hopes for Jared Leto)...so who did Schumacher have in mind for that role?
We may never know.
Margot Robbie of The Wolf of Wall Street fame will play Quinn in the forthcoming Suicide Squad film.
