MovieChat Forums > Bones Brigade: An Autobiography (2012) Discussion > Will this be the catalyst for a motion p...

Will this be the catalyst for a motion picture?

posted 12 years ago by cberbes
13 replies | jump to latest

Stacy Peralta's documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys eventually became the motion Picture Lords of Dogtown. What are the chances of this documentary turning into a motion picture about the Bones Brigade and the rise of skateboarding in the 80s/90s?

I always viewed modern skateboarding as having three big eras, all three important to where skateboarding is today, as a legitimate sport. Skateboarding was the focus on the birth of "extreme sports" with the X-games. To me the Z-Boys modernized skateboarding, taking it from a kids toy and bringing it into popular culture. The next big movement came with the Bones Brigade in the 80s, making skateboarding "main stream", with some help from the movies Back to the Future, Gleaming the Cube, and even Police Academy 4. All three movies featured stunts by Bones Brigade members. The current push came from the X-games and the rise in skate parks all over the country. These big movements were all linked beyond just skateboarding. The Bones Brigade was created by original Z-Boy Stacy Peralta, and many of the Bones Brigade competed in the first X-Games, and many of the Bones Brigade members starting or help starting many of the companies that rule the skateboard landscape today.

I think it would only be natural to build on this doc and create a movie about not only the Bones Brigade, but skateboarding in general in the 80s and 90s.

I wonder, if that happens, who would play the guys?

[–] matt504 12 years ago

Having just finished reading Mullen's book The Mutt, I would love to see a movie version of the story!

[–] cberbes 12 years ago

How's the book? I always thought it was more of a "how to" than a biography. Maybe I'll pick it up.

I wish Lance would write a book, always my favorite skater...and one of my favorite human beings.

[–] matt504 12 years ago

The book was awesome, best skating one i've read so far! Currently reading the one Stalefish!

[–] jinmbean 11 years ago

Does Mullen come off as bat *beep* crazy in his book as he does in this film? Dude is way smart but seems like he is trying to hard to make everything he says so prophetic.

"We’re changing from a code 3, direct pursuit, to a code 347…completely lost due to incompetence"

[–] dweebcentric 11 years ago

I thought that, too.

Also, after seeing Lords of Dogtown, I hope they don't feel compelled to do make a motion picture about Bones Bridgade beyond this documentary.

Peralta has a great knack for story telling (Legends of Dogtown and Riding With Giants were awesome!). This should suffice in doing the BB team justice.

[–] cberbes 11 years ago

I disagree, respectfully. I asked this question before seeing the doc, now that I have seen it I believe a movie would be the next step. Especially knowing that each individual story is so deep and complex. Lords of Dogtown was solid, obviously the movie only focused on Jay, Tony, and Stacy...and they all had different stories. But Lance, Tony, and Rodney alone could each have their own movie. Mike, Tommy, and Cab all have their own interesting stories as well, but I think Lance and Rodney have such a interesting story to tell.

At the very least, I would like to see off-shoot documentaries on each of the guys. They recorded hundreds of hours of interviews, plus all the behind the scenes stuff from the old BB video days, and other footage...I think Stacy could make at least a one hour doc on each guy. Kind of like how each KISS member put out a "solo" album in 1978, Stacy could do the same here.

Basically I just want more, especially more Lance.

[–] immitchconnor 11 years ago

recreating those tricks in their styles will be very difficult. cgi might be necessary to get it close. and each of the skaters are so distinctive

as for the casting, it would be a bunch of young actors. id expect young new faces, if there will be a movie

Got a quarter tank of gas in my new E-class....

[–] Chopperbubba 11 years ago

So true. You simply can't hire a stunt man to pull off some acid drops and expect to get away with it. Like you said, not only are their styles so distinctive, most of their tricks can't even be replicated by the top pros of today. Ollie Mctwists and 900's would likely be CGI'd for Hawk's character. They would have to hire an alien for Mullen's parts!

[–] BobCH88 11 years ago

another really stupid thread on imdb.

I have absolutely no desire to see a dramatization of this movie with actors playing the bones brigade. Lords of Dogtown sucked ass in my opinion. The original documentary was way more entertaining and it had the actual people telling their own story. Then you get Lords of Dogtown with Heath Ledger doing a bad impression of Val Kilmer impersonating Jim Morrison, it was a total waste of my time watching that movie.

[–] Chopperbubba 11 years ago

It was pretty bad wasn't it? The characters were so annoying especially the dude that played Alva and don't even get me started about Ledger's incoherent dialogue. If that wasn't bad enough, the tricks they were pulling off in the street skating scenes, weren't even invented yet nor possible with the banana boards they used. All the important players that created the Zephr team, were merely stand-in's. Just altogether terrible!

[–] cberbes 8 years ago

You know, I have to agree with you. I watched the doc again and decided to come here to see if anybody was still talking about it. Then I read this thread and I just kept thinking "what was I thinking when I started this?"

I guess I was caught up in the emotion at the time. I would, however, love for someone to just put a camera on Lance for a month or so, just let him tell stories. I watched the latest "BS with TG" where he interviewed Lance. Funny stuff.

[–] saulsx 8 years ago

Kind of an old thread, but since you posted recently sort of, thought I'd chime in.

Apparently, a feature film was already in the works when Stacy Peralta decided to make Dogtown and Z-Boys.

Saw an interview with Peralta recently in which he talked about that. He had said in an earlier interview that he was approached about a feature film but turned it down 'cause he didn't want to sell the rights to his life story. In this more recent interview, though, he said that some studio had already bought the rights to an article about the Dogtown boys that SPIN published in '99.

In either case, Lords of Dogtown was interesting, great soundtrack, I like the theme/setting. But, it was not a very good movie.

I grew up in the 70s-80s, got into skateboarding largely 'cause of those guys - Peralta, Alva, Hawk, Mullen - watched all the Bones Brigade videos a million times, Dogtown and Z-Boys is probably my favorite documentary.

Peralta should've consulted/advised, or co-written with a more capable screenwriter. He's a great documentary filmmaker. Hardwicke was the wrong choice for director. Ledger seemed like more of a caricature than an actual character. I don't recall Skip Engblom being that over the top. The style and cinematography didn't sit right with me either.

Anyway, I actually wouldn't mind seeing a feature-length drama based on Bones Brigade, Z-Boys, that period in skate history in general, in the hands of a more capable writer and a better director, with the actual skaters/surfers advising.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCblhzhwdj1cKzh8s9xzVNtQ

[–] Scout-Lynn 11 years ago

If it was filmed in the same way 'Lords' was, it would be very good.
I really liked this documentary. It really brought me back. I skated
back then too. I remember all of the new news on skateboarding
that came our way. They even showed covers to magazines I had and
I remember the articles they were talking about in the documentary.

I agree and would hope they do a film on this. Maybe the new skaters
would put down there 'I wanna be bad ass attitudes away' and learn
more about how they got to where they are.

Me personally as a skater and former skater. I think it has
lost its meaning and purpose. The skaters are not what they
use to be. And if you go to a skate park it seems to be a competition
to see who is better. Not at all fun. Hell it looks like they are
not even having fun.