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Who’s laughing now?

Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, directors and executive producers of the hit NBC drama This Is Us and who also wrote and helmed the 2011 film Crazy, Stupid, Love, are entering the DC cinematic universe at Warner Bros.

The duo are in final negotiations to pen and helm an untitled movie project centering on Batman villains Joker and Harley Quinn.

Jared Leto and Margot Robbie are due to reprise their roles as the villains, among the most popular characters in the DC pantheon and which they first portrayed in 2016’s Suicide Squad.

Insiders say that the plan is for this feature to go after the studio makes a sequel to Suicide Squad. The latter is on the development fast-track and out to directors. But the Joker and Harley Quinn movie is also moving fast as Warners has to contend with actors' holding agreements, say sources.

The film is described as a “criminal love story,” according to one source, featuring the two murdering maniacs who are cornerstones in the Batman mythos.

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Glenn Ficarra and John Requa have provided an update on their potential love-story for the Joker and Harley Quinn, while also also talking us through their deranged script, which they have called a mesh of Bad Santa and This Is Us.

“It is great,” Ficarra explained. “The whole thing starts with Harley kidnapping Dr Phil. Played by Dr Phil hopefully. Because her and the Joker are having problems with their relationship.”

“We had so much fun, I don’t know if we have had more fun writing a script in our career.”

“It was sort of like, we wrote ‘Bad Santa’ a couple of years ago, and it was that sensibility mixed with our ‘This Is Us’ sensibility. We kind of meshed them together.

“We were doing a relationship movie but with the sensibility of a 'Bad Santa,' f***ed up, mentally deranged people. It was a lot of fun.”

But while Ficarra and Requa, who directed the pilot and six other episodes of 'This Is Us,' are overjoyed with their finished script, they still don’t have a clue when or whether it will actually be made into a film.

“I don’t know where it is on the queue of DC movies,” Requa insisted.

“We handed the script in and everybody loved it,” added Ficarra. “But I don’t know when they are going to do it.”

“Because I know that they want to do ‘Birds Of Prey’ and they want to do Todd’s ‘Joker’ film first. Maybe if ‘Birds Of Prey’ goes well ours will be next.”

Todd Phillips’ Joker movie, which is starring Joaquin Phoenix in the leading role, is currently shooting, and will be released on October 4, 2019.

"Birds Of Prey" is currently in the process of trying to pick and cast Black Canary, Huntress, Cassandra Cain, Batgirl, Poison Ivy and Catwoman to join Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, while Cathy Yan is expected to start cameras rolling at the start of next year.

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