New concept art shows early designs for Harley Quinn’s costume while she plays roller derby in Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn). Birds of Prey has been through quite the roller coaster ride since opening in theaters last Friday. The film marks Margot Robbie’s return as Harley Quinn following the incredible popularity of her character in Suicide Squad, as well as introducing new female characters like Black Canary, Cassandra Cain, and Huntress. Unfortunately for Robbie and Warner Bros., it grossed the worst three day opening of any DCEU film and has since had to undergo a name change which focuses more on Harley Quinn in hopes of attracting more people to buy a ticket to see the film.

Despite the disappointing box office performance, Birds of Prey is actually receiving far more appreciation than a lot of past DCEU projects, especially compared to Quinn’s previous outing on the big screen in 2016’s Suicide Squad. Acclaimed writer Gail Simone, the writer of the original Birds of Prey comic, praised the film. Audiences have enjoyed the film judging by the 80% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and critics have repeatedly praised how the action scenes are “brutal” and “thrilling.” Some action scenes even see Quinn on roller skates, a throwback to the 2013 Harley Quinn No.1 comic, where Quinn takes a job in roller derby. Continuing the theme of praising Birds of Prey and Quinn in roller skates, concept artist Greg Hopwood took to Instagram to share an earlier design of Harley Quinn and praise the freedom artists have with her character.

The concept artist for both Star Treck: Picard and Birds of Prey, Hopwood, shared some new concept art on his Instagram recently, which shows Harley Quinn in her roller derby costume, but also, she can be seen wearing caution tape around her ankles. In addition to sharing the Birds of Prey art, he wrote: “There are no rules when working on a character like #Harley Quinn. I will never forget my time spent on Birds of Prey. More concept art to come!”

Back in September of 2019, footage of Robbie and director Cathy Yan on the sets of Birds of Prey was released, and Robbie could be seen in her character’s roller derby outfit. Judging from that footage, and the actual scene in the film where Quinn recounts her days in roller derby, the concept art is pretty similar to the outfit worn in the film. The obvious exclusion from the concept art is the caution tape, which in its own way does add something to a crazy, and unpredictable character like Harley Quinn.

Seeing the evolution from designs like Hopwood’s to the actual film is always a treat, not to mention the fact the art itself is quite fantastic. The artists’ fondness of his experience working on the film is a reminder that the end product was very strong, even if the box office numbers have been low. Also, Hopwood’s praise of the Quinn character is a reminder (if anyone needed one) that there is still so much one can do with Harley Quinn, and even if Birds of Prey ends up being a financial disappointment, with a few corrections, a future film starring Mr. J’s girlfriend can certainly be a big hit.

Next: Birds of Prey: When Harley Quinn’s Movie Is Set In The DCEU Timeline

Source: Greg Hopwood/Instagram

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