Written by Joy Lyn Parohinog Francisco
DC Films is developing a Poison Ivy film. It has been recently reported that, Poison Ivy won’t be connected to the DCEU. In other words, it’ll take place separately from both the SnyderVerse and the Flashpoint Timeline. Instead, DC Films is aiming for a villain standalone movie like Joker.
At present, details of the production are pretty sporadic. However, Poison Ivy has been gaining popularity due to the Harley Quinn animated series as well as the live-action Batwoman show. Bridget Regan plays Poison Ivy in Batwoman. She is the alter ego of Dr. Pamela Isley. Other live-action Poison Ivy actors are Uma Thurman in Batman & Robin, and three actresses – Clare Foley, Maggie Geha and Peyton List – portrayed her on Gotham. Lake Bell is her voice on Harley Quinn.
DC Films Developing Standalone Poison Ivy Film
Image: Warner Bros.
But the movie will not follow the Arrowverse version of Poison Ivy, either. With Joker having a character study film that won Joaquin Phoenix an Academy Award, Poison Ivy could be next. It’s also important to note that they specifically mentioned it to be a movie. This is despite the possibility of a more “cultivated” character on a streaming series.
The current Warner Bros. regime prefers DC Films projects to disconnect from one another. Thus, even before Ezra Miller’s The Flash, DC Films is already taking advantage of the multiverse.
This arrangement allows for three active Batmans. Michael Keaton, Ben Affleck and Robert Pattinson play different versions of the Dark Knight. In addition, there’s three versions of Joker with Phoenix, Jared Leto and Barry Keoghan. Thus, what is stopping them from having more than one Poison Ivy?
In the comic books, Poison Ivy first appeared in Batman No. 181 in 1966. Writer Robert Kanigher and artist Sheldon Moldoff co-created her. In the beginning, Poison Ivy is a supervillain. However, in recent years, there are situations where she is an anti-heroine.
Most of her ecoterrorism acts target entities such as organizations or corporations that hurt Mother Nature. She punishes wrongdoers mercilessly and at times her methods endanger innocent lives. This is when she gets to face Batman. There are times that Batman saves her, especially when her actions only mean to protect nature.
Poison Ivy has quite a lush backstory and origin, particularly from Neil Gaiman’s short story “Pavane.” It displayed her self-orientation as nature’s daughter and the world’s rightful ruler where plants live free from the destructive humans. Should a standalone picture be for her, “Pavane” can be a strong candidate as source material.
DC Films Developing Standalone Poison Ivy Film
Image: HBO Max
Another contender for source material is Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death, the character’s first six-issue solo comic-book miniseries that Amy Chu wrote with Clay Mann’s art. It focused on Poison Ivy’s human persona, who saves her experimental sporelings, better described as plant children. The series made Poison Ivy more human, motherly and caring. A huge departure from the usual depictions of the character as an ecoterrorist.
Should DC Films pursue this, there is potential here. An award-winning actress could transcend Poison Ivy’s comics roots. Nevertheless, DC Films will have to wait until after the Discovery merger.