James Gunn was 'privileged' to write for Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn

James Gunn found it "privilege" writing for Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn in 'The Suicide Squad'.

The 55-year-old filmmaker has helmed the new DC Extended Universe (DCEU) movie and loved writing about the villain as he has long been a fan of the character.

Asked if he felt under pressure writing for the beloved character, James said: "I felt excited, man. I love the character of Harley Quinn. I love Paul Dini's original Harley Quinn.

"I think she's one of the most well-written comic book characters of all time and consistently well-written, not always, but a lot. Being able to speak in her voice and to write for her was a privilege, but I also felt incredibly comfortable doing it."

The director admits that he "gets" Harley even if she isn't a "James Gunn character".

Speaking to Collider, Gunn said: "She isn't a James Gunn character, because I didn't create her in the same way I created Ratcatcher II, or even King Shark in some ways. But she is totally a James Gunn character in that I get her.

"So it's like, I love her character, I love who she is, and I felt extremely comfortable making this the most Harley of all Harleys that have been on the movie screen."

Gunn also revealed that he took a "loose" approach to directing on the comic book movie.

He explained: "I just am much more competent as a filmmaker than I used to be, and I can relax and I can... Everything is very planned out for me. So people know I draw everything in the movie before we shoot it. So everything is done by the time we get to set, but I was way looser with Squad.

"I found way more shots on set than I'd ever found before. I found that was a great strength to my filmmaking, to not be so locked in."