tank girl

North Park/YouTube

Margot Robbie is making a ‘Tank Girl’ reboot

The Harley Quinn actress is taking on another cult-favorite comic book role.

 

Gavia Baker-Whitelaw

Internet Culture

Posted on Sep 11, 2019   Updated on May 20, 2021, 4:17 am CDT

The 1995 Tank Girl movie is a true cult classic, a zany post-apocalyptic adventure adapted from a long-running comic book series. And so, inevitably, it’s due for a Hollywood reboot.

Actor/producer Margot Robbie‘s production company LuckyChap Entertainment has optioned the film rights, with Robbie expected to star. Since rising to fame as Harley Quinn, she’s chosen to have more creative control over her starring roles, including producer credits on I, Tonya and the upcoming Birds of PreyTank Girl certainly sounds like a good fit.

Directed by Rachel Talalay, the original movie was a mashup of Mad Max aesthetics, ’90s Riot Grrrl feminism, and an absurd sense of humor. Lori Petty starred as the title character, a post-apocalyptic antihero who rides around in a tank, co-starring alongside Naomi Watts, Ice-T, and Malcolm McDowell.

The remake is still in its early stages, with indie filmmaker Miles Joris-Peyrafitte—who worked with Robbie on a new film called Dreamland—tapped to direct. This all sounds like exciting news for Tank Girl fans, with one caveat: the comic’s original creators aren’t currently involved.

Writer Alan Martin and artist Jamie Hewlett have no connection to the project, with Martin tweeting yesterday, “Just heard that Margot Robbie’s company have optioned rights from MGM to make a new Tank Girl movie – now several months into development. We haven’t been contacted by any of the parties involved with the project, so not sure if there will be any input from the original creators.”

That isn’t the best of signs, but it’s still early days for the Tank Girl reboot. Considering Robbie’s experience with DC comics fandom, she presumably understands the importance of getting a character’s original fans and creators onboard.

READ MORE:

Want more reviews and interviews from Gavia Baker-Whitelaw? Sign up here to receive her biweekly geek culture newsletter.

H/T Collider

Share this article
*First Published: Sep 11, 2019, 6:45 am CDT