Cathy Yan Becomes the First Asian Woman to Direct a Superhero Film with ‘Harley Quinn’
In a historic move, Warner Bros. has tapped Chinese-American Cathy Yan to direct a DC spinoff based on Harley Quinn, starring Margot Robbie, according to Deadline.
Why it matters: This makes Yan the first Asian female director ever to helm a superhero film and also makes her the second female director DC has hired (after Patty Jenkins who directed “Wonder Woman”).
Yan previously worked at the Wall Street Journal, becoming one of the paper’s youngest reporters to land multiple stories on the front page. She made her feature debut when she released “Dead Pigs“, which won the World Cinema Dramatic Award For Ensemble Acting at Sundance earlier this year.
How it all happened: Yan’s Sundance award initially caught Warner Bros. attention. However, it wasn’t until she gave her “Birds of Prey” film pitch that sealed the deal. Robbie was instrumental in the hiring of Yan as one of her contingencies was that the film would have a female director.
The project will be based on “Birds of Prey,” which follows the story of Harley Quinn teaming up with other crime fighters, including Black Canary, Batgirl, and Huntress. It is not confirmed at this time whether all characters will be in the film.
Margot Robbie will be producing the film with her production company LuckyChap, along with Sue Kroll of Kroll & Co Entertainment and Bryan Unkeless of Clubhouse Pictures.
Watch the trailer for “Dead Pigs” below.
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