Roller Derby Graphic Novel Slam Is Becoming An Animated Series At Hbo Max

Roller Derby Graphic Novel ‘Slam!’ Is Becoming An Animated Series At HBO Max

By Ethan Anderton/March 10, 2021 5:30 pm EST

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When life starts coming at you like a freight train, you have two options: run away screaming or lean into the hit.

In the fast-paced, hard-hitting, super cheeky, all-female world of banked track roller derby, two young women will have to decide if their budding friendship is stronger than the pull of a team when a win is on the line.

From the first day of Fresh Meat Orientation for the Eastside Roller Girls, Jennifer and Maisie knew they’d be fast friends. But when they’re drafted to different teams, the pull of competition — and their increasingly messy personal lives — threaten to drive them apart. In roller derby you take your hits, get back up, and learn how to be a better jammer, a better blocker, a better lover, and a better friend. Derby can heal your heart…but it might break a bone or two in the process.

Ribon brings a fantastic combination of experience to make this project promising. Not only did she co-write Moana and Ralph Breaks the Internet for Disney, but she also skated with the L.A. Derby Dolls roller derby team for several years. She also brings network TV experience to the table as a writer on ABC’s Samantha Who?, so with her passion and experience combined, Slam! is bound to be something special. In a statement, Ribon said:

There’s no indication as to how soon the series will go into production or when it will arrive on HBO Max, but we’ll keep our ear to the ground for more details.

“I’m so fortunate to have the coolest, talented-est, Austin-est animation studios in the world partnering to bring Slam! to life as a television series. Billy Wee and the team at HBO Max geeked out just as hard as we did when talking about where this could go in storytelling and animation. That’s when we knew we’d found the perfect home. We’re so excited to make this rough and tumble, emotional, honest show about what it means to surrender your life, and your knees, to roller derby.”