Samara Weaving has revealed whether she'd ever consider taking over the role of Harley Quinn from Margot Robbie. Robbie became the DCEU's Harley Quinn in 2016's Suicide Squad and continued the live-action role in The Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey. With the DCU now in a transitional period under James Gunn and Peter Safran, many wonder whether Robbie will carry over her role into the new cinematic universe or if a new actor will be brought in to take on the iconic DC villain.
Samara Weaving, an actress known for her work in Scream VI and Ready or Not, is a popular choice to play Harley Quinn in the DCU. Both Robbie and Weaving are Australian actors who have been considered lookalikes for years. When asked by Who Let Us Out whether she'd be interested in taking over Robbie's role as Harley Quinn, Weaving was surprised that she was the fans' pick, saying Robbie left "big shoes to fill." Weaving added that Robbie "really knocked it out of the park" in her role as Harley Quinn, and she wasn't confident that she could surpass her lookalike in the role:
Samara Weaving: "Really? I mean, sure. Big shoes to fill though... Maggie really knocked it out of the park. I don't know if I can blow Mags in that."
Robbie's position as Harley Quinn in the DCU has been in flux, with reports indicating that she will "probably not" return to the role in the rebooted universe. Some actors, such as Robbie's The Suicide Squad co-star John Cena, have maintained their DC roles in Gunn and Safran's new cinematic universe, but plenty of others have been recast as the DCU starts over. The character has already been portrayed by a different actor on-screen once since Robbie made the role famous, with Lady Gaga playing Harley "Lee" Quinzel in Joker: Folie à Deux.
Harley Quinn is one of several DC characters believed to be a priority for DC Studios, indicating that the Batman villain's return on screen is a matter of when, not if.
DC Studios is coming off the release of Superman and Peacemaker Season 2 in 2025. Several more projects, including Supergirl and the Batman villain spin-off Clayface, are on the slate for release in 2026.
Can Samara Weaving Fill Margot Robbie's Shoes as Harley Quinn?
As the DCU continues to bring in new actors to play popular characters, several fancasts are gaining notoriety, and Samara Weaving as Harley Quinn is one of the top ones.
Robbie has also shown support for new actors playing Harley Quinn. In 2024, she told Variety she wanted Harley Quinn to "be a character that would get passed on to other actresses to play."
Margot Robbie: "I always wanted Harley to be a character that would get passed on to other actresses to play, the way there are so many iconic male characters. That was always the dream for her. Harley’s so fun and can go in so many different directions. You put her in someone else’s hands, and it’s like, 'What are they going to do with her?' The options are endless."
Of all the actors who could take on Harley Quinn in the new DCU, Weaving is a top choice who would undoubtedly receive Robbie's stamp of approval. The duo both started working in Australian soap operas, coming up in the same industry, and have long had their resemblance commented on by the media. They eventually cemented a meta-narrative after working together on Babylon, where Robbie's character upstaged her lookalike in the film, played by Weaving.
DC Studios has been targeting new actors with rising profiles for roles as its heroes and villains in the new DCU, casting the likes of David Corenswet as Superman and Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl. Weaving, who is gaining a profile as a scream queen in Hollywood, would be a great choice to fill Harley Quinn's shoes, assuming Gunn doesn't choose to bring back Robbie, whom he worked with on The Suicide Squad.
