Harley Quinn is breaking free. When the character (played by Margot Robbie) was introduced to filmgoers in 2016’s Suicide Squad she was a villain in thrall to Jared Leto’s Joker. Now she’s getting a standalone movie with an extra-long title — Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) — in which she’s ditched her boyfriend and is looking for a fresh start. 

In the movie, Harley Quinn teams up with Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez). Together, they fight to save Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) from the clutches of the villain Black Mask (Ewan McGregor).   

Margot Robbie earned $9 million for ‘Birds of Prey’ 

Harley Quinn was one of the most memorable characters from Suicide Squad, and DC and Warner Bros. paid Robbie handsomely to take the lead in a follow-up film. The 29-year-old Australian actress was paid between $9 and $10 million for Birds of Prey, according to a report in Variety. She has an estimated net worth of $22 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. 

Robbie is also a producer on Birds of Prey, which is one reason she’s receiving such a hefty salary. In comparison, Joaquin Phoenix, who starred in Joker, which creates an origin story for the DC Comics character but is not part of the larger DC Extended Universe, earned $4.5 million for his role in that box-office hit.

DC seems to be banking on its female stars to bring audiences to the theater. Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot is getting paid $10 million for Wonder Woman 1984, which will be in theaters on June 5, 2020.

She’ll play Harley Quinn again in ‘The Suicide Squad’ 

After Birds of Prey, Robbie will pick up her mallet again (she’s ditched her famous bat) for The Suicide Squad, the upcoming sequel/reboot to Suicide Squad. It’s directed by Guardians of the Galaxy’s James Gunn and is due out on August 6, 2021. 

Before Birds of Prey lands in theaters, Robbie will be seen in Bombshell, about a group of women who exposed Fox News head Roger Ailes’s pattern of sexual harassment. It also stars Nicole Kidman and Charlize Theron and is scheduled for release on December 20. There’s already talk that the movie could earn Robbie her second Academy Award nomination. (She received her first nod for I, Tonya.)

Robbie is also set to step into Barbie’s tiny plastic shoes in a live-action movie inspired by the iconic doll. 

“I think it’s a great opportunity to put some positivity out in the world and a chance to be aspirational for younger kids,” she told Variety when speaking of the upcoming film, which should be out in 2020 and will be co-written by Lady Bird’s Greta Gerwig and The Squid and the Whale screenwriter Noah Baumbach. 

The actress has also been attached to Marian, a Robin Hood movie focusing on Maid Marian, though the status of that project is unclear. 

Birds of Prey is in theaters February 7, 2020.   

Read more: What ‘Joker’ Fans Are Saying About Heath Ledger After Seeing Joaquin Phoenix’s Performance

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