Lords of Dogtown is getting rebooted as a series at IMDb TV. Kat Candler is on board to write and executive produce alongside Shawn Ryan and Marney Hochman of Sony Pictures Television. Catherine Hardwicke, who directed the original movie released in 2005, will also return as an executive producer for the project.
Described as a one-hour drama, the Lords of Dogtown TV show is “set in the 1970s skateboarding scene in southern California and centers on 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.”
Lords of Dogtown is based on the true story of the Zephyr Skateboard Team, otherwise known as the Z-Boys. In the 1970s, the group helped to bring skateboarding to the mainstream with their innovative tricks and aerial maneuvers. Their story was told by director and Z-Boys member Stacy Peralta in the acclaimed 2001 documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys, which was narrated by Sean Penn and won several awards at the Sundance Film Festival. The critical attention would also inspire the scripted movie Lords of Dogtown which would be released in 2005.
Written by Peralta, the Lords of Dogtown movie did not set the box office on fire when it was first released, but it’s one of those movies that has gone on to develop a cult following. Featuring the late Heath Ledger as Skip Engblom, the cast also includes Emile Hirsch as Jay Adams, John Robinson as Stacy Peralta, Victor Rasuk as Tony Alva, Michael Angarano as Sid, and Nikki Reed as Kathy Alva. Comedy legend Mitch Hedberg also has a memorable appearance as Frank Nasworthy and other big stars like Sofia Vergara, Jeremy Renner, Joel McHale, Tony Hawk, and Johnny Knoxville also appear.
Candler’s experience as a showrunner includes serving in the role for the third season of the OWN series Queen Sugar. She is also developing a new series at TNT with Queen Sugar creator Ava DuVernay. As a director, Candler has also helmed episodes of Queen Sugar along with 13 Reasons Why at Netflix, Sorry for Your Loss at Facebook Watch, and Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story at USA Network. She also directed the pilot for the CW series The Republic of Sarah.
IMDb TV is a free, ad-supported streaming service owned by Amazon. The VOD service is available on the Amazon and IMDb websites as well as all Amazon Fire devices. One of the biggest offerings of original content from the streamer is a reboot of the crime series Leverage, which began shooting last fall and will bring back most of the original cast members. IMDb TV will also serve as the home for the successor program to Judge Judy when the daytime TV court show ends production this year.
It’s not yet clear if the original Z-Boys will be directly involved in the IMDb TV series version of Lords of Dogtown. In addition to writing the 2005 movie, Peralta also appeared in a cameo along with several other members of the group. This news comes to us from Variety.