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Margot Robbie Set To Play Infamous Figure Skater Tonya Harding In New Movie ‘I, Tonya’

By Val Powell
Published on: 06:00 PST, Mar 22, 2016

After playing breakthrough roles in The Wolf of Wall Street and The Legend of Tarzan, Margot Robbie is now set to play the role of figure skater Tonya Harding in the upcoming flick I, Tonya.

The actress will be lacing up her skates as she plays the role of one of the most criticized sports figures in history.

Tonya Harding rose to prominence at the age of 21 after she won the United States Figure Skating Championships. She also nabbed second place in the World Championships, making her a heavy favorite for the 1994 Winter Olympics.

However, what made her rise to infamy took place when fellow American figure skater, Nancy Kerrigan, was attacked at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Her now-ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, and one of her bodyguards were behind the attack.

Nancy Kerrigan was struck in the knee, forcing her to withdraw from the competition. This resulted in Tonya Harding defeating Kerrigan and taking the gold.

The Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan Rivalry Revisited

But in March of the same year that the attack took place, Tonya Harding was given a lifetime ban by the U.S. Figure Skating Association. This was announced after she pleaded guilty to conspiring in the attack made against Nancy Kerrigan.

So far, no other actors have officially been named as part of the character roster in I, Tonya. Although it has already been reported that Bryan Unkeless and his Clubhouse Pictures will be producing the flick, no director has been named for this project. Certain reports claim that Steven Rogers will be writing the screenplay.

As of press time, film production is already in its early stages.

The movie will reportedly revolve more around the story of small town girl Tonya Harding and her fast journey to the top, and her equally-fast fall to disgrace.

Fans of Margot Robbie are guessing whether the movie will be showcasing a dark, dramatic, and serious side to the story. Some are also guessing that the film will actually showcase the competitive side of Tonya Harding, which could have been the driving force in her ploy to attack her fiercest competitor, silver medalist Nancy Kerrigan.

This is not the first time that someone has adapted the story of Tonya Harding both on the small and big screens. The first actress to take on the role of the infamous figure skater was Melanie Hutsell on Saturday Night Live in 1994. In the skit, Melanie Hutsell did not speak, and just attacked Mike Myers with a pipe.

During the same year, Tina Yothers starred in the movie Spunk: The Tonya Harding Story. The short film aired on Comedy Central during the actual Olympics. Alexandra Powers played the role of the figure skater in the NBC short, entitled Tonya & Nancy: The Inside Story, which also aired in 1994.

Tina Yothers Played Tonya Harding In This 1993 Parody

Years after, Amy Poehler again attempted to portray the character on Saturday Night Live in 2002. Two years after, E!’s docudrama entitled Infamous also centered on Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan. The former was played by actress Jennifer Hutchins.

In 2006, Tonya & Nancy: The Opera was produced by novelist Elizabeth Searle. It premiered in Boston and was shown in different states across the nation. A reinvented version of Tonya & Nancy: The Opera was produced just last year, entitled Tonya & Nancy: The Rock Opera. Searle was also the producer of the second version of the show, in which actress Tracy McDowell starred.

While waiting to fill in the film’s cast & crew for I, Tonya, Margot Robbie is busy promoting her latest film, Suicide Squad, which premieres on August 5.

Margot Robbie Plays Harley Quinn In ‘Suicide Squad’

[Photos by Neilson Barnard, Pascal Rondeau/Getty Images]

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