Avril's "Boi" Sk8es to Big Screen

Paramount options Avril Lavigne's "Sk8er Boi," hoping to turn the teen anthem into a big screen love story

By Josh Grossberg May 20, 2003 5:00 PMTags

Hollywood's doing ollies over Avril Lavigne.

Paramount Pictures has optioned the 19-year-old Canadian singer's teen anthem "Sk8er Boi" to use as the title and inspiration for a film mining the skateboarding lifestyle, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Like the tune, Sk8er Boi the movie will attempt to capture the angst endured by two teens from varying social and cultural backgrounds as they attempt to hook up--with the added bonus of, like, sending your English teacher into paroxyms of rage.

Lavigne's not expected to actually star in the story of the teenage girl who rejects the affections of the titular sk8ting dude simply because he's not popular. But there's a twist: Unbeknownst to her disapproving friends, she really digs him. Years later when her would-be suitor becomes famous, she regrets giving him the boot.

Paramount has tapped ER writer-producer David Zabel to translate the tune into the requisite teen love movie formula, replete with skating and, of course, a killer soundtrack.

To that end, Paramount has hired the songwriting trio of Scott Spock, Lauren Christy and Graham Edwards (dubbed "The Matrix" in the music biz), the folks who cowrote and produced Lavigne's "Sk8er Boi," to pen all new original songs for the soundtrack.

The project is being produced by Paramount-based MTV Films and Alphaville Pictures.

Ironically Lavigne--who coopted the rebellious skater pose for her punk-popster image--admitted she's no master when it comes to boarding herself.

"I can ollie and sort of grind. I suck...But I just like doing it. It's fun," she copped to Launch.com. "I like wiping out and hurting myself and crying. And I like to show off my bruises. And, me and the guys just like to mess around on them, even though we all suck."

She may be a little weak in the skates, but Lavigne's fledgling singing career is showing some muscle, especially on the charts.

Her debut album, Let Go, has gone multiplatinum since its release last June, selling over 4 million copies and scoring five Grammy nominations, including one for the single "Complicated."

Though she went home Grammy-less, Lavigne did recently snag a consolation prize, winning International Hit of the Year for "Complicated" at the UK's prestigious Ivor Novello Awards.

Meanwhile, her version of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" helped raised more than $100,000 for the people of Iraq. And having just wrapped her first-ever North American tour, Lavigne plans to help out her native Canucks by appearing at a June benefit to aid SARS-stricken Toronto.

A live album and DVD is also in the works and scheduled to hit stores in the fall.