New BIRDS OF PREY Imagery Confirms RTF Reporting On The Characters’ Designs

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Over the last couple of months, we’ve shared with you some exclusive rumors that have made their way over to us from sources embedded in the design team for DC’s upcoming Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). And today, we got to see those rumors bear fruit.

First, back on December 4 we published an edition of DC Whispers that mentioned how director Cathy Yan was being given the flexibility to tweak Harley’s look from what was established in Suicide Squad. If you’ll recall, in that film, she had a very dirty, grimy, covered-in-tattoos aesthetic.

At the time, I’d heard there were designs floating around the studio that showed Margot Robbie’s iconic Harleen Quinzel without all of that ink, and today’s reveals show us what Yan’s final decision was: To keep the most memorable ones, and ditch the rest.

Take a look for yourself at the promotional materials released today, and note that only the heart on her cheek, the “Rotten” on the right side of her jaw, and the “Daddy’s Lil Monster” on her chest remain at this point:

So Yan tweaked her Suicide Squad look, and sort of split the difference between Tatted Everywhere and Some Tattoos. And it’s interesting to see how even the “Daddy’s Lil Monster” chest tattoo seems optional at this point, because it’s totally missing in the shot of her with the yellow cami on.

Then there’s the overall look of the characters in Birds of Prey.

Earlier this month, in another edition of DC Whispers, I shared with you that the film’s costumes wouldn’t be terribly flashy- especially following what we just saw in Aquaman, which was like seeing a comic book or cartoon come to life.

At the time, I’d heard they would be much more practical, street-savvy, and less stylistically grandiose than what we’d just seen in Aquaman, and in the following little teaser, you can see that quite clearly now:

While you could argue that these characters were always destined to look more grounded, one look at their comic book counterparts and keeping in mind that most of DC’s films feature looks that are very comic-accurate, and you would’ve been forgiven for thinking they may go a little larger than life for this one.

Here’s what characters Black Mask, Black Canary, Victor Zsasz, and Huntress have been known to look like in the books:

While it remains entirely possible we’ll see some stuff that’s more comic-accurate later on in the film, it’s undeniable that the first impression Yan wants you to have of this film is that it’s a more grounded, quirky affair than the far flung comic book adventure seen in Aquaman. “Nothing flashy,” indeed.

What do you guys think of these first looks from Birds of Prey? And what do you think of Yan’s approach to the costumes and overall character designs so far?

SOURCE: Instagram / YouTube