The creator of the new animated Harley Quinn series starring Kaley Cuoco has defended the decision to introduce a new version of Catwoman into the show.
Airing on streaming service DC Universe, Harley Quinn is a separate property to the live-action films, where the supervillain is played by Margot Robbie.
Now in its second season, the show has introduced its own version of Catwoman, voiced by actress Sanaa Lathan, who is African-American.
Speaking about the decision with Digital Spy, Patrick Schumaker revealed: ‘[We] thought it was a really great choice to make her black instead of white.’
He also says that the decision was not made to compliment the casting of Big Little Lies star Zoe Kravitz as the next live-action of Selina Kyle, who will appear in The Batman alongside Robert Pattinson.
‘When we wrote it and we cast it, we actually had no idea. Like with theBirds of Preyfilm, we were sort of out of the loop with that development process,’ he explained.
‘We wanted to include as much diversity in the show as we could. It felt important, and it was an opportunity to do that with a character that has been primarily – at least in the comics, and in most of the film and television work – portrayed as Caucasian. So if you can do it, then why not?’
Why not, indeed! We applaud you, Patrick. Thanks for making the DC world a more diverse place.
Harley Quinn: The Animated Series certainly seems intent on re-writing the Batman book, too.
In another notable episode, it unveiled a well-known villain as queer.
The titular character, voiced by Big Bang Theory star Kaley, will also embark on same-sex relationship with Poison Ivy, it’s been revealed.
We quite literally love to see it.
Harley Quinn is available to stream via DC Universe.
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