Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk is getting into the movie game and is producing his first Hollywood feature. The 50-year-old skateboarder has signed on to producer a comedy titled Back to the Grind, which centers on a group of five middle-aged men who get their old skate team back together in order to prevent their favorite park from being taken over by obnoxious younger skaters. Here's what Hawk had to say about the project in a statement.
"I'm excited to be part of this project, which comes at a time when skateboarding culture is so widely recognized across many generations. 'Back to the Grind' will be a fun, entertaining story that can enhance skateboarding's growing popularity."The movie comes from Branded Pictures Entertainment. Tony Hawk is set to serve as a script and technical advisor on the project, in addition to his duties as a producer. "Tony is the leading ambassador to the sport, and having him involved in all aspects of this project ensures that it will be both authentic and entertaining," said J. Todd Harris, founder of BPE. The idea for the movie came from producer Marc Marcum, who has a love for skateboard culture and the sport. Here's what he had to say about it.
"This idea came from my love for the intersection of art and athleticism that defines skate culture. We look forward to making a movie that will celebrate this sport for all audiences. We're thrilled to have an icon like Tony Hawk join us in making what we believe will be the definitive skateboarding comedy for skate enthusiasts old and new."Tony Hawk got his start skateboarding in the late 1970s and eventually rose to prominence as a professional. His landmark achievement came in 1999 when he became the first ever skater to land the 900, a full two and a half revolution spin in the air, in competition during the X-Games. He then became a broad pop culture icon and a household name, largely thanks to his very popular series of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater video games.
While this will be the first movie that Tony Hawk is producing, he's not totally unfamiliar with Hollywood. He's made cameos in movies such as xXx, Sharknado 5: Global Swarming and The New Guy. He's also appeared in skateboarding movies Gleaming the Cube and Lord of Dogtown. Hawk has also appeared in a number of skateboarding videos and regularly films content for his YouTube channel.
There is currently no word on who may direct Back to the Grind or what actors are going to make up the group of men the story centers on. It sounds like this project may be in the relatively early stages. Having Tony Hawk on board should at least help to ensure that the movie has an authentic feel to it. BPE has yet to set a release date. This news comes to us courtesy of Variety.
