Grab your board and some elbow pads because a Lords of Dogtown television series is planning on hitting the pavement. The project is heading to IMDB TV, Amazon's free, ad-supported streaming service, which I just learned is a thing that exists. Based on the 2005 Sony movie of the same name, the Lords of Dogtown TV series comes from Shawn Ryan's MiddKid Productions and Sony Pictures TV, with the film’s director Catherine Hardwicke executive producing.
Written by Queen Sugar scribe Kat Candler, Lords of Dogtown is a one-hour ensemble-drama about the 1970s skateboarding scene in Southern California, centered around a hell-raising teenage girl growing up in the foster care system. She falls in with a crowd of skaters who idolize the famed Zephyr Skateboard Team.
Much like how Netflix's The Queens Gambit led to a surge of interest in the game of chess, Lords of Dogtown encouraged countless teens to take up the sport of skateboarding. It wasn't long after the film's release that skate parks saw a rise in popularity, which in turn led to a demand for better insurance waivers and other means of protecting both skaters and park owners alike. Hardwicke's film starred Emile Hirsch, Victor Rasuk, John Robinson, Michael Angarano, Nikki Reed, Heath Ledger, Rebecca De Mornay, and Johnny Knoxville. Yes, that Johnny Knoxville.
Do you think a Lords of Dogtown TV series will result in an increased interest in the art of skateboarding? When's the last time you stepped foot onto a board? I used to skate back in the day, and let me tell you, I sucked at it. I mean I really sucked at it. While a new Lords of Dogtown TV series is something I'd totally watch, you won't find me carving up any empty pools at nearly 40-years-old this month. How about you?