Birds of Prey Officially Earns R-Rating!

December 19, 2019

While filmmaker Cathy Yan has teased the more adult-centered tone for Birds of Prey, the upcoming DC Extended Universe sequel has finally received an R-rating from the Motion Picture Association of America for “strong violence and language throughout, and some sexual and drug material,” according to Comicbook.com!

This rating confirms that Yan and screenwriter Christina Hodson (Bumblebee) are not pulling any punches with the first Harley Quinn solo outing, with the rating promising plenty of gore and violence, profane language and more adult-natured elements not seen in her theatrical debut Suicide Squad. It also marks the first R-rated superhero film to come from the DC Extended Universe, with Joker being the first of any of the imprint’s properties to receive the rating, though not attached to the DCEU.

Margot Robbie will be reprising her Suicide Squad role of Harley Quinn in the film, which also stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress, Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Black Canary, Ella Jay Basco as Cassandra Cain, Ewan McGregor as the villain Black Mask, Chris Messina as Victor Zsasz and Rosie Perez as Renee Montoya. Ali Wong (Fresh Off the Boat), Robert Catrini (American Crime Story), Steven Williams (IT) and Derek Wilson (Preacher) round out the ensemble.

Yan (Dead Pigs) will direct the spin-off, making her the first female Asian director to helm a superhero film. The script was penned by Christina Hodson (Bumblebee).

In the DC Comics, the Birds of Prey are a mostly female superhero team has included Oracle/Batgirl, Black Canary, Huntress, Catwoman, Hawkgirl, Power Girl, Poison Ivy, Vixen, and Katana, who was played by Karen Fukuhara in Suicide Squad. A short-lived live-action TV series titled Birds of Prey aired on The WB from 2002-to-2003 for 13 episodes, starring Ashley Scott as Huntress, Dina Meyer as Barbara Gordon/Oracle, Ian Abercrombie as Alfred Pennyworth and Mia Sara as Harley Quinn.

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is set to be released in theaters on February 7, 2020.