Cathy Yan to direct Harley Quinn spinoff with Margot Robbie

April 18 (UPI) -- Filmmaker Cathy Yan has been selected to direct an untitled Harley Quinn spinoff film starring Margot Robbie that will feature the Batman villain teaming up with other female DC Comics characters.

The film is based off of DC's Birds of Prey series which normally features a group of female crimefighters including Batgirl Barbara Gordon, Black Canary and Huntress, among others.

Christina Hodson, who was recently selected to pen the script for Batgirl following the exit of Joss Whedon, is handling the script. Production is set to start at the end of the year.

Yan is a former Wall Street Journal reporter who made her feature film debut at the Sundance Film Festival with Dead Pigs. The film went on to win the World Cinema Dramatic Award For Ensemble Acting at Sundance.

Yan will be the third female director hired by Warner Bros. to direct a DC Comics film following Patty Jenkins with her Wonder Woman series and Ava DuVernay who is developing New Gods. Yan will also be the first Asian woman ever to direct a superhero film.

Robbie, who previously starred as Harley Quinn in 2016's Suicide Squad, is producing the spinoff under her LuckyChap banner along with Sue Kroll of Kroll & Co. Entertainment and Bryan Unkeless of Clubhouse Pictures. Robbie and Unkeless previously produced together I, Tonya.

Harley Quinn is also expected to appear in a Suicide Squad sequel from director Gavin O'Connor