The end of The Big Bang Theory next year means that star Kaley Cuoco (aka Penny) is off to another universe. The DC Universe, in fact.
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Kaley is the latest to inherit the court jester cap of antihero Harley Quinn for newly-launched streaming service DC Universe's upcoming animated series, which debuted its first trailer at New York Comic-Con with some Deadpool and DCEU jokes:
The Big Bang Theory star will voice Harley and executive produce the adult-oriented cartoon about Harley establishing her own villain identity in Gotham after splitting up with her puddin', The Joker.
"She just doesn't want to be Joker's girlfriend anymore," Cuoco told Entertainment Weekly. "She wants to lead the pack, which I find very appropriate for this kind of day and age and vibe that we're in."
Throughout the first season, Harley will find herself at odds with The Joker and Batman, and cross paths with other powerful ladies of the Multiverse, like Wonder Woman and BFF Poison Ivy.
The star-studded voice cast includes Lake Bell (BoJack Horseman), Alan Tudyk (Firefly), Jason Alexander (Seinfeld), Tony Hale (Veep), Chris Meloni (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), Wanda Sykes (black-ish), Jim Rash (Community) and Diedrich Bader, reprising his title role from Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
Working on this series about female empowerment has seemingly been cathartic for Kaley Cuoco during this period where women's voices are finally being amplified in Hollywood and beyond.
"It has definitely been empowering," she told the publication. "To sit in a booth and scream and cuss and yell at boys for hours at a time, it has been an absolute blast. Not having to do hair and make-up has made it that much better.
"But it's such an iconic character, so with all of that respect and love toward the character, we're trying to bring a new spin to it, and I think the fans that love this type of show are really going to enjoy it."
There are no signs of DC Universe ever being available in the UK, but Harley Quinn could eventually get a streaming release elsewhere across the pond, like Titans has on Netflix.
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Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
