There are certain scandals that truly dominate the world of popular culture when they're happening. These decade-defining incidents seem to capture attention nationwide, and continue to be talked about years later. Few incidents define 1990's culture than the feud between figure skating olympians Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan, which came to an explosive conclusion when Kerrigan was attacked before the 1994 Olympic Games. While the nation still remembers every press conference, triple lutz, and coverage of the incident, it looks like the scandal will soon be brought to a younger generation. Tonya Harding is getting her very own biopic.
Collider has reported that the long-rumored Tonya Harding biopic is taking major steps forward, including landing a director. Craig Gillespie will be helming the Harding film, which is tentatively titled I, Tonya. Gillespie is best known for directing films like The Finest Hours and Million Dollar Arm, as well as his work on Showtime's United States of Tara.
I, Tonya is still in its early staged of development but it has landed a star, with Margot Robbie playing the title character. With her starring roles in Suicide Squad and The Legend of Tarzan, it looks like 2016 is the year of the Robbie. Now we have to wait and see if the actress cast as Nancy Kerrigan is as captivating as the new Tonya.
Tonya Harding was America's sweetheart and worst enemy when she was in the limelight. Her rivalry with Nancy Kerrigan made the nation as a whole actively tune in to watch figure skating in the Olympic games. Harding was also known for her somewhat bizarre behavior. In addition to skating to the Jurassic Park theme song (yes, that was a real choice), she was also known for sometimes having breakdowns when her routing wasn't going exactly as planned. For instance, in 1994 she had an issue with her laces, and lost her shit. Check it out below.
Tonya Harding also gained a ton of attention after the infamous attack of her competitor Nancy Kerrigan. After Kerrigan's practice session before the 1994 Olympic games, she was attacked by Shane Stint, in an attempt to break her leg and disabling her from competing in the games. Stint was hired by Harding's ex-husband Jeff Gillooly, leading many to believe that Harding herself had been a conspirator in the attack. She would eventually plea guilty to conspiring to hinder the prosecution of the attackers, and was sentenced to 3 years probation, 500 hours of community service, and a fine of $160,000. Additionally, she was stripped of all of her titles by the USFCA.
The whole scandal is cemented in American popular culture, and Nancy Kerrigan's cries in anguish, asking "why?" would go viral before viral was even a thing.
Tonya Harding also ended up having a celebrity sex tape with Jeff Gillooly, which Harding would profit from by selling it to Penthouse.
With so much craziness surrounding her, Tonya Harding seems like the perfect person to have a biopic. In fact, it's almost surprising it took this long. And with Margot Robbie showing off her penchant for crazy as Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad, she seems like the perfect actress to bring Harding to the silver screen.
We'll continue to update you on all things I, Tonya as they become public.
