A rumored synopsis for the Birds of Prey movie reveals why the team comes together - and gives some hints at the major character arcs in play in the upcoming DC movie.

DC Films' Birds of Prey is currently expected to begin filming in January 2019. Star Margot Robbie, who will be reprising the role of Harley Quinn, has teased that this will be very "different" to traditional superhero films. Birds of Prey is expected to be an R-rated action film, with a much smaller budget than tentpoles like Aquaman or Shazam!. It's currently believed that, in addition to Harley Quinn, the film will star the DCEU versions of Huntress and Black Canary.

The Discussing Film website has just published a new synopsis for Birds of Prey, one that teases some major plot developments and character arcs. The brief synopsis reads:

"After splitting up with The Joker, Harley Quinn and three other female superheroes – Black Canary, Huntress and Renee Montoya – come together to save the life of a little girl (Cassandra Cain) from an evil crime lord."


The website claim to have a number of sources inside DC Films, using them to verify other rumors and reports that have circulated over the last few weeks. At this stage, however, it's difficult to properly assess the rumors, and they should be treated as unsubstantiated.

Assuming this synopsis is accurate, though, there are two immediate points. The first is that it seems Harley Quinn has broken up with the Joker, meaning Jared Leto is unlikely to appear in Birds of Prey. That's an important detail, perhaps suggesting the studio has recognized what comic book fans have always known: That Harley Quinn's best development as a character comes when she is separated from the Joker, when she realizes the abusive nature of their relationship and decides to move beyond it. The R-rating may well mean viewers get an inside look at Harley's attempt to recover from the Joker's abuse.

The second key takeaway is that, as recently rumored, Batgirl isn't mentioned in the synopsis at all. According to Discussing Film, the character has been completely cut. That would make perfect sense since there have long been reports that Warner Bros. is interested in developing a Batgirl movie inspired by the popular "Batgirl of Burnside" arc. But that version would sit very uncomfortably indeed with an R-rated franchise like Birds of Prey. Instead, it seems the team members are Harley Quinn, Black Canary, Huntress, and detective Renee Montoya.

Only time will tell whether or not this rumored synopsis is truly accurate. If it is, then a number of key female DC characters - including even Cassandra Cain - are destined to make their DCEU debut soon.