Olivia Wilde 'worked hard' to become director of Kerri Strug biopic

Olivia Wilde "worked hard" to be made director of an upcoming biopic about gymnast Kerri Strug.

The actress, who made her directorial debut with 2019 coming-of-age comedy Booksmart, was revealed to be the director of sports drama Perfect by editors at Deadline last week.

Perfect will tell the story of Strug, who won huge praise from fans at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia by completing a final, gold medal-winning vault in the team competition on a badly injured ankle that later required treatment for ligament damage. She had to be carried to the podium to accept her gold medal with her teammates before heading to hospital.

Opening up about her new film on Twitter, Wilde revealed to her followers that she is grateful to have the opportunity to tell the "unreal" story.

"Best script I've ever read. I worked hard to get this gig. This story is unreal," she tweeted, adding in a mindblown emoji. "I'm beyond grateful for the opportunity to tell it my way."

The script for the film, which Wilde will also produce, will be penned by Borg/McEnroe writer Ronnie Sandahl, who is adapting the book Landing on My Feet: A Diary of Dreams by Strug and John P. Lopez.

In a statement to Deadline, Wilde described Perfect as an "epic sports movie".

"It is an excruciatingly beautiful underdog story that will thrust the audience into the heart of Kerri Strug with unblinking, raw honesty," the 35-year-old said. "It is an epic sports movie that will deliver on all the wish-fulfilment that makes those films so thrilling to watch. At the same time, it is unlike any sports movie you have seen before."

Wilde recently won the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature for Booksmart. She is also set to helm the thriller Don't Worry, Darling, which will centre on an unhappy 1950s housewife.