DC Studios' New Joker & Harley Quinn Movie Will Break Superhero Tradition

One major superhero tradition will seemingly be broken in an upcoming DCU movie featuring the Joker and Harley Quinn. While these two characters' last film appearance together turned into one of the worst superhero flops of all time, the Joker and Harley Quinn remain one of the most popular duos in the genre. Looking forward, this pair may now have the chance to do something in a movie that fans have never seen before.

Writer Zack Cregger reportedly wrote a script for a movie titled Henchman for the DC Universe. Cregger is coming off his highly rated work on Weapons, which became one of the biggest horror movies in recent memory after its August 2025 debut. The acclaimed writer/director now has his eyes set on the world of DC Comics, using two of the franchise's biggest villains as an entryway.

Scooper Daniel Richtman shared the plot synopsis for Cregger's DC script, which focuses on Robert Redguard, "a mild-mannered pharmacist" who is "struggling to care for his sick son." He then finds his way into a situation with the Joker and Harley Quinn, becoming part of their gang and starting to "lose his former identity" as he dives deeper into the world of crime:

"This is the plot synopsis for Henchmn, Zach Cregger's DC script:

In Gotham City, Robert Redguard, a mild-mannered pharmacist, is struggling to care for his sick son. After a wrongful arrest and a harrowing prison bus escape, Robert becomes inadvertently entangled with The Joker and Harley Quinn and become part of their gang. As he commits progressively darker crimes, Robert begins to lose his former identity, transforming from reluctant participant to full-blown criminal."

If true, this would mark the first time in history that a superhero movie does not feature either a hero or a villain as the star of the movie. Villain movies have become more prevalent in recent years (such as both takes on the Suicide Squad for DC), but none have centered on somebody who starts as nothing more than a civilian.

As of writing, it is unknown whether the Henchman movie will be an Elseworlds story or integrated into James Gunn and Peter Safran's Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters slate. The next movie in Chapter 1 will be Supergirl, which debuts in theaters on June 26, 2026. Meanwhile, Matt Reeves is hard at work on The Batman - Part II, an Elseworlds movie coming on October 1, 2027.

What to Expect From Joker & Harley Quinn Movie

While fans are sure to be thrilled by the prospect of seeing Harley Quinn and the Joker reunite, this movie will deliver something nobody has ever seen in the DCU or any superhero universe. It will put an up-and-coming henchman into a spot as the core character of a DC blockbuster, taking a different direction than heroes like Superman or villains like the Joker.

The other question is whether this will be part of the Elseworlds slate or Gunn's main DCU timeline, particularly given that questions still remain about movies like The Batman—Part II. Reports have indicated that Creger is pitching this specific movie as a DCU movie (in the main timeline), but this is not officially confirmed, with the story so early in development.

It also opens the door to other movies potentially being developed with similar themes in mind. Gunn is already working hard to bring lesser-used characters like Swamp Thing and the Authority to life in the DCU, and he has never been shy about highlighting heroes and villains not commonly used in the superhero movie world.

With plenty of details still left to work out, this film could end up being a game-changer for the entire genre, depending on how the story and adventure come together.