Harley Quinn Spin-Off Movie Birds of Prey Finds A Director

Update: The Birds of Prey reviews are in! See what the critics think of the new Harley Quinn movie or read GameSpot's review, which praised its "top-tier action" and "witty humor."

Original story follows...

The DC movie universe is showing no signs of slowing down. With Aquaman headed to theaters later this year and Shazam currently filming, Warner Bros. is moving forward with the planned spin-off film for Suicide Squad breakout character Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie). The movie has now found a director.

As first reported by Deadline, Cathy Yan has been chosen to helm the film, after giving a Birds of Prey presentation to the studio. It's expected she will become the second woman to direct a DC film, after Wonder Woman's Patty Jenkins, as well as the first female Asian director to tackle a big-budget superhero movie. A script for the project was written by Christina Hodson.

Yan's hiring reportedly came at the behest of Robbie, who wanted a female director for the project about a girl gang of DC characters. While it remains to be seen what other characters will appear in the film alongside Harley Quinn, Variety's Justin Kroll reports that the film will introduce audiences to Batgirl--as Marvel's Captain America: Civil War did for the character of Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman). Similarly, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice did the same with Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot).

Batgirl was originally slated to be written and directed by Avengers and Justice League alum Joss Whedon before he stepped away from the project in February. Though a new director has yet to be named, The Hollywood Reporter says Hodson will also pen this movie's script.

As for Suicide Squad 2, Kroll claims it will no longer start production in 2018. That film is currently slated to see director Gavin O'Connor taking over for David Ayer. The Birds of Prey-based spin-off is expected to head before cameras in late 2018 or early 2019. However, a release date for the film has not been announced.

This will be Yan's second time helping a feature-length film. Her debut, Dead Pigs, recently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. She has also served as a director, producer, and writer on a number of short films. Previously, she was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal.