Villain in 'Birds of Prey' was swapped, says Margot Robbie: Initial draft had Penguin

Los Angeles, Aug 23 (PTI) "Barbie" actor Margot Robbie says the character of Penguin was supposed to be the villain in the initial draft of her 2020 film "Birds of Prey", but Matt Reeves decided to change it.

Directed by Cathy Yan, the film featured Robbie in the role of Harley Quinn. Also starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, and Rosie Perez, "Birds of Prey" was based on the DC Comics. It was written by Christina Hodson.

Robbie said "The Batman" director Reeves, stopped the makers from using it, and that's when the antagonist was replaced with the Black Mask, played by Ewan McGregor.

"The first draft that Christina wrote of 'Birds of Prey', the villain was the Penguin," the 35-year-old actor told Entertainment Weekly in an interview.

"And then Matt Reeves said, ‘Don’t use the Penguin. I’m going to use him in my thing.’ And so we swapped it to Black Mask," she added.

The film follows Robbie's character Quinn breaking up with Joker, following which she joins superheroines Black Canary, Huntress, and Renee Montoya to save a young girl from being killed by the villain, Black Mask.

Robbie will next star in "A Big Bold Beautiful Journey" from Kogonada. Slated to release on September 19, the film features Colin Farrell alongside the actor.

She will also feature in a psychological drama, "Wuthering Heights", which is set to release in 2026. The film is directed by Emerald Fennell. PTI ATR ATR ATR