Tank Girl comic book co-creator Alan Martin says Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap Entertainment is developing a movie reboot of the franchise. Created by Martin and Jamie Hewlett in 1988, Tank Girl (aka. Rebecca Buck) made the jump from the comics to the big screen in 1995’s live-action film. Directed by Rachel Talalay (Doctor Who) and starring Lori Petty (Orange is the New Black), the post-apocalyptic sci-fi adventure bombed at the box office and failed to win over most critics. In the years since, however, Tank Girl has garnered a cult following thanks to its feminist themes and general sense of weirdness.
Between her dyed hair, punk-rock fashion style, and typically anarchistic behavior, it’s little wonder the Tank Girl character remains a fan-favorite to this day (not to mentions, popular among cosplayers). Her misadventures tend to be equally wild, and follow Rebecca as she roams her dystopian world in a tank that doubles as her home. In more ways than one, the character is a bit like DC’s Harley Quinn, if even more offbeat and idiosyncratic. Appropriately enough, it appears that Robbie - who currently plays Harley Quinn in the DC Extended Universe - is now interested in bringing Harley’s fellow blond-haired antihero back to theaters.
In a post on Twitter, Martin revealed he’s “just heard” that Robbie’s production banner has optioned the rights to a Tank Girl movie from MGM, and is already “several months into development”. The news shouldn’t be treated as official just yet, though, as Martin went on to clarify that he hasn’t been contacted by anyone from LuckChap about the project at this point.
All things considered, Martin’s claim is believable enough. Robbie has taken on more responsibilities as a producer on her most recent films, including her acclaimed biography I, Tonya and next February’s Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) DCEU spinoff. In particular, she’s recently prioritized development on films that have feminist themes and/or empowering messages for women, like the the upcoming live-action Barbie movie. As anarchic and borderline surreal as the Tank Girl comics and 1995 movie are (they take place in a Mad Max-ian landscape populated by humans and mutated kangaroos, for example), they’re also known for being progressive when it comes to their handling of gender. In other words, Tank Girl is an IP that lies comfortably in Robbie’s wheelhouse as a budding actor-producer.
Since it’s early days at best, there’s no word yet on who could potentially write and direct the Tank Girl reboot. The 1995 film is still the rare comic book movie driven by women on both sides of the camera, so presumably Robbie will want to continue that tradition with the reboot. It’s also not clear yet if Robbie has any intention of playing the new Tank Girl, should a reboot come to pass. The character is similar enough to Harley Quinn that Robbie might prefer to hand the role off to someone else. Either way, here’s hoping fans won’t have to wait long until Robbie’s camp either confirms or denies they’re working on a Tank Girl reboot in the first place.
Source: Alan Martin
