DCEU rumors suggest Gotham City Sirens is still in the works

The upcoming Birds of Prey film hasn’t put an end to the rumored Gotham City Sirens film. In fact, Birds of Prey has strengthened the Sirens’ rumors.

The DCEU has been teasing us with several confirmed and rumored movies. FromThe Trench to Batgirl, the DCEU has found its voice in comic films, and we’re ready to see all the upcoming productions.

Birds of Prey (And the Emancipation of one Harley Quinn) has offered a small stream of new set photos and teaser footage in the last month alone. While some fans assumed that the Birds of Prey movie meant the end of the long-rumored Gotham City Sirens film, the rise of the Birds of Prey doesn’t mean the end of the Sirens. Plus, the rumors that claim the Gotham City Sirens is thankfully underway fueled our happy fan theories.

As The Hollywood Reporter notes, Birds of Prey will kickoff a trifecta of women-led films and teams. Obviously, the first being Birds of Prey, then the Gotham City Sirens, and a crossover event featuring the Birds of Prey vs. the Sirens. The recent news about the Trench spinoff shows that the DCEU is far from opposed to spinoffs from other movies, so seeing the Birds of Prey and the Sirens thrive in the film universe isn’t an implausible rumor.

Just as Suicide Squad subtly introduced Harley’s rise to her independence, using films to subtly hint as new DCEU arrivals is an acceptable (and welcomed) recurring theme in the DCEU and comic book movies in general.

Honestly, it makes sense that Gotham City Sirens and the Birds of Prey teams would coexist in the cinematic universe without being exclusively codependent of each other. The DCEU retrofits standard comic storytelling to its onscreen universe, and it works.

Not every DCEU film needs to build off its predecessor to create an extended conflict or inter-film plot. Because superhero and supervillain teams, and the individual character within them, don’t perpetually rely on each other, teams can exist and change in a solo format.

Like the comics, DC recognizes that characters flourish on their own. After all, characters are rarely ever committed to one team, one alias, or even one alignment. Their character development allows them to work with multiple teams, change from a hero to a villain and anywhere in between. However, it always allows any given character to refine themselves.

Just like superhero or villainous teams have a rotating roster of members, the DCEU can use these changing dynamics to not only tell new stories and feature new characters despite the titular teams, but it can also introduce Harley’s character development in the background.

Both the Birds of Prey and the Gotham City Sirens exist and kick bad guy butt in the comicsverse, so the DCEU wouldn’t (and shouldn’t) differ. Since Birds of Prey kicks off Harley Quinn’s emancipation, she’s free to be who she wants, align herself in the wavering world of villainy and do-goodery as she wants, and fighting crime (or doing crimes) with who she wants.

If DC movies introduce the Gotham City Sirens after the Birds, the ending of Birds of Prey could feature Harley’s transition back to her sometimes-villainous persona and how she redefines her identity in the wake of her abuse.

Introducing both the Birds and the Sirens shows the plasticity of identities in the comic sphere. As both the Birds of Prey film as well as the rumored Sirens production will focus on establishing each team, it can fortify that the DCEU’s narratives are stronger when its teams and characters can both coexist and succeed independently.

While the potential Birds vs. Sirens crossover event could signify a more cohesive universe, it can serve to show how comic-related arcs exist separately and meld when they need to. However, Gotham City Sirens isn’t the only film that the DCEU could add to its lineup.

Cover to Batgirl #0 (2011), written by Gail Simone; art by Ed Benes. Image via DC Comics.

The Batgirl film is still underway, according to CinemaBlend. Given that Barbara Gordon (Oracle) seems to be missing from the Birds of Prey cast of characters, her solo film could easily segway into her appearance as a formidable Birds of Prey team member when the two teams officially clash.

Granted, depending on timing, a second Birds of Prey themed production could initially introduce Babs. Seeing as Harley is a major player in the Sirens team, and a certain prominent character (i.e. Oracle, aka Barbara Gordon) was excluded from the Birds of Prey film, a crossover event between the teams could dual as Barbara’s introduction into the DCEU before her solo film.

Although we’re unsure how the DCEU will specifically introduce the conflict between the Birds and Sirens or the official timeline of events, we can assume that its intentions already include planting seeds and leaving a trail of greenery for certain notable characters in the Sirens (and, generally, the DC universe).

We might be too hopeful that Harley’s technically new tattoos could introduce Pamela Isley (Poison Ivy), who’s one of the members of the Gotham City Sirens. At the least, the could vaguely reference Pam’s existence in the DCEU.

Regardless, Birds of Prey will naturally set up new characters even beyond the confirmed lineup of Birds. With other upcoming films such as Suicide Squad 2, Batgirl, and Batman, we’ll see a new DCEU landscape as it emerges new characters.