I have quite a lot of obsessions, some obvious and some less so, and one that most don't know about is Tonya Harding. In 1994 Harding was part of a plot that saw her then-husband Jeff Gillooly (even his name is heelish) bash rival Olympic skater Nancy Kerrigan in the knee just before the U.S. Figure Skating Championship, leading to the kind of crazy-but-true scandal that made headlines for years. And now Harding's story is about to become a movie, an actual good one not a crappy TV movie, and it will star another obsession of mine: Margot Robbie.
Robbie is set to star in I, Tonya, based on a spec script by Steve Rogers (Love the Coopers) that he researched through extensive one-on-one interviews with Harding and Gillooly. Beyond just the Kerrigan attack, Harding was a tough woman who overcame a rough upbringing in Portland, OR to ascend to the top of her sport. Unfortunately, that determination to be the best came with an ugly side that played out in her rivalry with Kerrigan, who weeks later overcame the bruised knee she suffered to vastly outshine Harding at the 1994 Olympics. Harding, Gillooly, and others were prosecuted for the crime, and she went on to live a live of celebrity infamy. The low point being an embarrassing Celebrity Boxing fight against Paula Jones.
While there's no director attached yet, there's clearly some real potential behind this project for it to attract the red-hot Robbie. She's been rolling lately, and despite her upcoming role as Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad, she has yet to have that defining lead role. This could be it.
