Margot Robbie had long been rumored to star as Sharon Tate in Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and now it looks like she’s going to be on board. According to Deadline, she’s been offered the role of the late actress and is currently in negotiations to take the part. I assume part of the delay came from waiting until after the Oscars. On the off-chance she won Best Actress for I, Tonya, it would significantly increase her asking price for the picture.

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Image via Warner Bros.

For those unfamiliar with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the story, per Deadline, is a Pulp Fiction-like tapestry “set in Los Angeles in 1969, at the height of hippy Hollywood, around the time of the murder of Tate and several others in a killing spree ordered by Charles Manson. The two other lead characters are Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), former star of a western TV series, and his longtime stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt). Both are struggling to make it in a Hollywood they don’t recognize anymore.” In the film, Tate is Rick’s neighbor.

It’s still unclear what direction Tarantino is planning to take the movie. He previously defended Roman Polanski, Tate’s husband at the time, before apologizing for that defense. Tarantino seems aware that the ground beneath his feet is shifting, and is struggling to keep up. On the one hand, I’m all for directors becoming more enlightened and realizing their moral shortcomings, but on the other hand, we should also recognize when an apology is simply the path of least resistance. Art can speak louder than words, and I’m curious to see what Once Upon a Time in Hollywood has to say.

Casting continues for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which is set to open on August 9, 2019.

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Image via Focus Features
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Image via NEON
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Image via David Appleby/Fox Searchlight Pictures