One of Margot Robbie’s DC movies almost played out very differently, according to the actress. It has been almost two years since the DCEU movie timeline came to an end, as Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom marked the final installment in the decade-old franchise that began with Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel in 2013.

While the DCEU had a mixed reception, one of the fan-favorites from that franchise was Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, as she brought one of the most iconic Batman characters to life in 2016’s Suicide Squad. The Australian actress ended up being back for two additional DCEU movies, with one of them being a direct spinoff for Harley Quinn.

2020’s Birds Of Prey Could Have Had A Very Different Batman Villain

In 2020, Robbie returned as Harley Quinn and executive-produced Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) while helping bring one of DC’s most iconic teams to the big screen. The DCEU installment saw Robbie’s Suicide Squad character return while going up against Ewan McGregor’s Black Mask, another famous Batman foe from the comics.

In a new Entertainment Weekly interview, Robbie and her fellow A Big Bold Beautiful Journey co-star, Colin Farrell, who plays The Penguin in Matt Reeves’ The Batman universe, talked about their comic book roles. However, it turns out that Birds of Prey almost had The Penguin as the main villain, with Robbie revealing the following to Farrell:

Margot Robbie: Did we ever talk about Harley and the Penguin?

Colin Farrell: I don’t believe so. I don’t think it came up once. No, we never mentioned, never spoke about it at all.

Margot Robbie: We’ve done so much talking, and I don’t think we’ve ever [discussed that.] That’s so weird. The first draft that Christina [Hodson] wrote of Birds of Prey, the villain was the Penguin.

Colin Farrell: No way! Really?

Margot Robbie: And then [director/writer] 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 [played by Ewan McGregor].

Colin Farrell: Wow! And how was her Penguin?

Margot Robbie: [teases that it was] amazing.

Colin Farrell: Did you still have a copy of [that script]?

Margot Robbie: Yeah, it’s probably on my computer. You could read it.

Colin Farrell: Oh, good, I’d love to [read it.] That’d be so fascinating.

If The Penguin had been used in the 2020 film, it wouldn’t have been Farrell’s iteration, as The Batman universe exists outside any shared DC franchise and is one of the Elseworlds properties. It was never mentioned in the new interview if there were any actors in consideration for the DCEU’s Oswald Cobblepot.

Birds Of Prey Helped The Batman In A Mᴀssive Way

While it’s a surprise to hear that Reeves stepped in to ask that Birds of Prey didn’t use The Penguin, he did The Batman a major favor. Given that Robbie’s spinoff film didn’t have the best reception, while also struggling at the box office, Reeves’ 2022 project marked the first time since 1992’s Batman Returns to feature the famous baddie again.

If the characterization of The Penguin in Birds of Prey had been criticized, it’s possible some fans wouldn’t have been too eager to catch Farrell’s version as part of The Batman cast. Given the big confusion that existed at the time with general audience members about what was or wasn’t connected to the DCEU, Reeves made the right call.

With Farrell’s take on Oz Cobb, Reeves’ actions paid off big time, as the actor ended up also starring in his own spinoff series, and is set to return in The Batman 2. After the changes made to Birds of Prey, time will tell if new versions of Harley Quinn and The Penguin will get a chance to cross paths in James Gunn’s DC Universe.