According to Deadline, Mirmax has acquired U.S. distribution rights to I, Tonya, starring Margot Robbie (Suicide Squad). Robbie will portray the disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding. Craig Gillespie (Lars and the Real Girl) is set to direct. AI Film signed up to finance the project, which will also be produced by Robbie. Steven Rogers penned the screenplay.
The film will document Harding’s life as she emerged from an impoverished childhood in Portland, Oregon. She later rose to the top of the figure skating world with her determination and athleticism. She became the first American woman to complete the triple axle and in 1991, she won the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and placed 2nd in the World Championships. She was poised to compete with fellow American skater Nancy Kerrigan when two criminals tried to break her leg. One of the two thugs turned out to be Harding’s husband. Kerrigan, Harding’s competitor, ended up winning silver at the Olympics, while Harding placed 8th. As events began to unfold, the United States Figure Skating Association took away Harding’s 1994 championship and banned her from competing for the rest of her life.
I, Tonya represents a slew of upcoming projects for the in demand Robbie. This past year, she appeared in Suicide Squad, The Legend of Tarzan and Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Coming up, the Aussie actress will headline the thriller Terminal and co-stars opposite Domhnall Gleeson (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) in a currently untitled biopic of Winnie-the-Pooh creator A.A. Milne. I, Tonya is due sometime in 2018.
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