You wouldn’t be wrong if you said that Margot Robbie’s performance as Harley Quinn in “Suicide Squad” and the upcoming “Birds of Prey” is reminiscent of the comic book character Tank Girl. While Harley is always shown to be a bit of a rebel in her DC lore, there is a punk rock attitude and style with Robbie’s version of the character that screams Tank Girl. And according to that character’s co-creator, it would appear that Robbie is perhaps interested in going full-on Tank Girl in the future.
Alan Martin, who co-created the character with Jamie Hewlett back in the late-‘80s, recently took to social media to drop a bit of a bombshell. The British writer said that Robbie’s production company has optioned the rights to his comic book creation, with eyes on turning it into a feature film. Created in 1988, “Tank Girl” follows the title character, a punk tank operator who travels around the post-apocalyptic hellscape earning money, doing odd jobs and embarking on crazy adventures.
He tweeted, “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.”
Obviously, this tweet is far from an official announcement and doesn’t actually say that Robbie would become Tank Girl in the potential film adaptation. However, judging by Robbie’s past rights acquisitions, there’s a high likelihood that the actress is hoping to star in the role, if it comes to fruition.
Now, if a new film is made, it would mark the second feature to carry the “Tank Girl” title. In 1995, director Rachel Talalay released a feature film of the same name starring Lori Petty as the title character. While viewed as a massive box office bomb, the mid-‘90s film has gone on to earn a massive cult following, exposing millions to Martin and Hewlett’s feminist, punk creation. And now, decades later, you can still find at least one Tank Girl cosplayer at any comic book convention around the world.
As mentioned, Robbie is scheduled to appear in the upcoming “Birds of Prey” and will begin shooting the ‘Suicide Squad’ sequel from James Gunn later this year. So, even if a Tank Girl film is in the works, it’s likely pretty far off.
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. pic.twitter.com/7RxbV4qLFt
— Alan Martin (@AlienMartian23) September 9, 2019