Margot Robbie Will Add Trapeze Artist to Her Resume in ‘Queen of the Air’
Margot Robbie’s plan for world domination is going pretty well: Her upcoming projects include an A.A. Milne biopic with Domhnall Gleeson, a Harley Quinn Suicide Squad spinoff and — best of all — a Tanya Harding biopic (which she’s also producing). For her next trick, Robbie is heading to the circus to perform death-defying acts in the role of famous real-life trapeze artist Lillian Leitzel.
THR reports that Robbie has signed on to star in Queen of the Air, a new biopic from American Sniper producer Andrew Lazar. The project, which does not yet have a director, is based on Dean N. Jensen’s 2013 book about the life of Lillian Leitzel. Cat Vasko wrote the screenplay.
Leitzel became a world-renowned trapeze artist during her time with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in the early 20th century. The petite acrobat was well-known for her signature trick, which involved repeatedly dislocating one of her shoulders, and was so committed to the craft that her wrists had been permanently marked by the trapeze ropes. The story also tells of Leitzel’s relationship with fellow trapeze artist Alfredo Codona, one of the most skilled performers in the world, their subsequent marriage and tragic deaths.
Robbie next appears opposite Simon Pegg in the thriller Terminal, and is set to play Daphne Milne, wife of famous Winnie the Pooh author A.A. Milne in Goodbye, Christopher Robin. She’s also developing a Harley Quinn solo film with Warner Bros., which is rumored to possibly include other female DC characters. But perhaps her most interesting upcoming project is a biopic about Tanya Harding, in which she’ll play the role of the notorious Olympic figure skater who was allegedly responsible for the famous attack on Nancy Kerrigan.