The star of FX’s new series Snowfall, Damson Idris, has spoken about his breakout role in John Singleton’s crack cocaine drama — which comes just four years after he started acting. The 25-year-old told the Television Critics Association (TCA) winter press tour that growing up in the deprived neighborhood of Peckham, London, had allowed him to relate to the story. And he said watching Singleton’s 1991 film Boyz n the Hood as a kid acted as an “eyeopener” to him about America. He said the area he spent his childhood in had many of the same issues as were highlighted in...read more...
- 1/13/2017
- by April Neale
- Monsters and Critics
“A lot of people who lived during that time have deja vu,” Ep John Singleton said at TCA today about his upcoming FX drama Snowfall, which follows the rise of the cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles during the early 1980s. “For people who weren’t even born, they’ll totally watch with clean eyes. It won’t be a nostalgic thing,” added the Oscar-nominated director of Boyz N the Hood. Snowfall is spread across three spheres: the CIA, South Central and East L.A starting during the…...
- 1/13/2017
- Deadline TV
The beginning of a new year is a time for excitement. What marks a fresh start for some means pressure to keep a good thing going for others, and still yet an anticipated ending for a few more. After all, January signifies opportunity; opportunity for the best to begin, develop, or come to an ideal conclusion.
We’re talking about television, of course. Sure, a new year can mean a lot to individuals, communities, and even countries, but let’s be real: The most enticing aspects of the coming year don’t take pace in the real world. There are many new shows — more than ever, really — set to debut in 2017, a boatload of returning favorites we hope can meet (or exceed) the high bar they’ve set for themselves, and at least one outstanding series set to air its final episode.
Read More: 7 New Netflix Shows to Binge Watch...
We’re talking about television, of course. Sure, a new year can mean a lot to individuals, communities, and even countries, but let’s be real: The most enticing aspects of the coming year don’t take pace in the real world. There are many new shows — more than ever, really — set to debut in 2017, a boatload of returning favorites we hope can meet (or exceed) the high bar they’ve set for themselves, and at least one outstanding series set to air its final episode.
Read More: 7 New Netflix Shows to Binge Watch...
- 1/3/2017
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Drug gang drama to be directed by Belgian directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah.
Ambitious Amsterdam-based Dutch Features Global Entertainment, headed by CEO Pim van Collem, is to begin world sales at the Afm on Patser, the new feature from L.A. and Brussels based Belgian directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah.
El Arbi and Fallah are also attached to direct Beverly Hills Cop 4, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer for Paramount Pictures, and have recently directed the first two episodes for the series Snowfall for FX Networks. Their previous feature, teen gang movie, Black (2015) won the Dropbox Discovery Award at Tiff and became a media phenomenon after provoking riots in a Brussels cinema.
Patser tells the tale of four ne’er-do-wells from the neighbourhood ‘t Kiel’ in Antwerp, aspiring to become gangster legends. They foolishly get involved in high-profile drug affairs, and start a war between gangs from Antwerp, Amsterdam and even...
Ambitious Amsterdam-based Dutch Features Global Entertainment, headed by CEO Pim van Collem, is to begin world sales at the Afm on Patser, the new feature from L.A. and Brussels based Belgian directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah.
El Arbi and Fallah are also attached to direct Beverly Hills Cop 4, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer for Paramount Pictures, and have recently directed the first two episodes for the series Snowfall for FX Networks. Their previous feature, teen gang movie, Black (2015) won the Dropbox Discovery Award at Tiff and became a media phenomenon after provoking riots in a Brussels cinema.
Patser tells the tale of four ne’er-do-wells from the neighbourhood ‘t Kiel’ in Antwerp, aspiring to become gangster legends. They foolishly get involved in high-profile drug affairs, and start a war between gangs from Antwerp, Amsterdam and even...
- 11/4/2016
- by geoffrey@macnab.demon.co.uk (Geoffrey Macnab)
- ScreenDaily
Donald Glover’s Earn has his biggest win of Atlanta‘s first season in its final episode, yet he still ends the installment sleeping alone in a storage unit.
If there’s a more fitting way for the FX comedy to end its excellent freshman outing, I can’t think of it.
Most of the finale, titled “The Jacket,” involves Earn searching the city for a blue bomber jacket he was wearing during the previous (debauched) evening, during which he, Alfred and Darius Ubered to a strip club and wound up at a house party that got a little out of control.
If there’s a more fitting way for the FX comedy to end its excellent freshman outing, I can’t think of it.
Most of the finale, titled “The Jacket,” involves Earn searching the city for a blue bomber jacket he was wearing during the previous (debauched) evening, during which he, Alfred and Darius Ubered to a strip club and wound up at a house party that got a little out of control.
- 11/2/2016
- TVLine.com
Skydance has sealed an exclusive, multi-year first-look TV and film deal with Michael B. Jordan and his new production company Outlier Productions. The first project under the agreement is an original scripted TV series Apollo Park, the story of a young, inner-city Detroit basketball player's rapid rise to professional fame. Eric Amadio, whose new series Snowfall just received a 10-episode order at FX, will write the series he co-created with Jordan. The Creed actor will…...
- 10/20/2016
- Deadline TV
Skydance has sealed an exclusive, multi-year first-look TV and film deal with Michael B. Jordan and his new production company Outlier Productions. The first project under the agreement is an original scripted TV series Apollo Park, the story of a young, inner-city Detroit basketball player's rapid rise to professional fame. Eric Amadio, whose new series Snowfall just received a 10-episode order at FX, will write the series he co-created with Jordan. The Creed actor will…...
- 10/20/2016
- Deadline
We don’t know The Butcher well yet, and neither do the Millers. But if the audience of American Horror Story: Roanoke can already tell that she isn’t the sorta vengeful, cleaver-wielding ghost with whom one should lightly make and then break a deal, then surely, they should understand that, too, right? Right. Nevertheless, Shelby and Matt reneged on their agreement with the erstwhile Thomasyn White in “Chapter 4” Wednesday, setting the stage for more of the kind of supernatural shenanigans for which the word “Croatoan” was apparently invented. Read on, and we’ll go over the lot of ’em.
- 10/6/2016
- TVLine.com
Hooray — another year of American Horror Story premise speculation can officially begin!
FX on Tuesday renewed Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk’s hit horror anthology series for Season 7, although it’s a potential eighth installment that has everyone buzzing. Last week, Murphy told EW.com that he’s plotting a “secret season” of Ahs that would air at some point after Season 7.
RelatedCable/Streaming Renewal Scorecard 2016: What’s Coming Back? What’s Cancelled? What’s On the Bubble?
“I’ve been working with a writer on a season that only he and I know,” Murphy said. “It’s like...
FX on Tuesday renewed Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk’s hit horror anthology series for Season 7, although it’s a potential eighth installment that has everyone buzzing. Last week, Murphy told EW.com that he’s plotting a “secret season” of Ahs that would air at some point after Season 7.
RelatedCable/Streaming Renewal Scorecard 2016: What’s Coming Back? What’s Cancelled? What’s On the Bubble?
“I’ve been working with a writer on a season that only he and I know,” Murphy said. “It’s like...
- 10/4/2016
- TVLine.com
FX is moving ahead with Snowfall, giving a 10-episode series order to John Singleton’s drama inspired by the early days of the crack cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles in the early 1980s. The series pickup comes after the cable network saw the second pilot for the project, originally piloted last year. The first pilot was written/executive producer by Boyz N The Hood director Singleton and Eric Amadio, and directed by Singleton. Dave Andron was then brought in as executive…...
- 9/30/2016
- Deadline TV
FX has ordered a 10-episode season of early-’80s Los Angeles crack cocaine drama, “Snowfall.” Production is set to begin next month for a 2017 debut. “Snowfall” is being produced by FX Productions, and is executive produced by Dave Andron, Thomas Schlamme, John Singleton, Eric Amadio, Michael London and Trevor Engelson. Andron is showrunner. The pilot was written by Singleton, Amadio and Andron and directed by the Belgian team of Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. Also Read: 'You're the Worst' Renewed for Season 4 at Fxx “We are excited to add ‘Snowfall’ to our original series lineup,” said Eric Schrier, of of two presidents of.
- 9/30/2016
- by Tony Maglio
- The Wrap
Carter Hudson, Angela Lewis (Top Five), Juan Javier Cardenas, and Filipe Valle Costa have been cast as series regulars in FX's Snowfall, John Singleton's 1980s cocaine-epidemic drama pilot. Co-created and executive produced by the Boyz N The Hood director Singleton and Erick Amadio, and directed by El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, the pilot has been undergoing a revamp. Hudson will play Teddy McDonald, a CIA operative banished to the Los Angeles office after a tragic misstep in…...
- 7/28/2016
- Deadline TV
Alon Aboutboul (London Has Fallen) and Amin Joseph (Baywatch) have booked series regular roles on FX's Snowfall, John Singleton's 1980s cocaine-epidemic drama pilot. Co-created and executive produced by the Boyz N The Hood director Singleton and Erick Amadio, and directed by El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, the pilot has been undergoing a revamp. Aboutboul will play Avi Drexler, an unpredictable cocaine dealer operating in the San Fernando Valley. Joseph will portray Franklin's…...
- 7/20/2016
- Deadline TV
Encouraging news for FX’s 1980s cocaine-epidemic drama pilot Snowfall — the project has secured a series showrunner. Dave Andron has signed a two-year overall deal with FX Productions, the studio behind the drama. Under the pact, he will serve as executive producer and showrunner on John Singleton and Eric Amadio’s Snowfall, should it move forward to series. Additionally, Andron will develop new projects for FX Networks. Former Justified co-executive producer Andron boarde…...
- 6/17/2016
- Deadline TV
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hosted a 25th anniversary screening of John Singleton’s “Boyz N the Hood” at the Sva Theatre in New York City last Sunday as part of their “Spotlight on Screenwriting” series. This followed an event in Los Angeles the Academy hosted for the film on Friday.
After the screening, Oscar-nominated writer and director Singleton sat down with acclaimed author Walter Mosley to discuss what “Boyz” means 25 years later, including how it launched its career, how time has shifted its cultural weight and, for Singleton, how film increasingly struggles to mean anything culturally. Read five highlights from the talk below:
Read More: John Singleton Channels August Wilson – Pens Op-ed On White Directors Helming Black Films
Singleton uses two words to describe the current state of black cinema: “Dismal” and “abysmal.”
At the discussion, Singleton repeatedly discussed his interest in films specific to culture and afro-centric experiences. Yet he lamented that films like that are not being made by other minority directors, especially in the studio system.
“It doesn’t matter how many hits and how much money the movies are making,” said Singleton. “They don’t have any cultural consciousness to them now. They have smatterings and little bits here and there, but it’s abysmal. It’s not like every movie has to make a statement at all. Movies don’t have to preach, they’re entertainment first.”
“But in terms of cultural weight – if we have cultural weight, it will be entertaining. And that’s what I feel I try to go for. I just try to rep hard for Spike [Lee], when he was starting he was trying to get people to say ‘hey listen, we can have our own idiom in film. We can have a black film aesthetic. We can have a thing that’s unique.’ When I do whatever I’m trying to do, I’m still trying to rep that,” he said.
This lack of personal voices in film is a result of a studio culture that he doesn’t think would support “Boyz N the Hood” today.
Mosley and Singleton broke down how unlike government-sanctioned international cinema that “gives artists free reign to have dissenting views,” said Singleton, cultural specificity is lost in commerce-driven american cinema.
“There are so many stories that have yet to be chronicled about what really went on in Los Angeles in the early 80s,” said Singleton. “Yet our film culture is all based on commerce. You have a paucity of personal voices in film. Yes, you have a lot of independent films that are getting made, but even so they’re not what they were. You don’t have as many anachronistic true voices that are different from the norm. You have that at a lower level where people are making films on their iPhones now, doing new stuff.”
“There used to be a time where you had a support of these acrostic voices. These films that were really specific…you don’t have that with the studios right now,” Singleton added. “That’s why American cinema is really suffering right now. It’s sort of like the small movies are the farm stuff for the big films. If George Lucas didn’t make ‘American Graffiti,’ he wouldn’t have ‘Star Wars.’ And ‘American Graffiti’ is specific to a sort of time and place that was changing and evolving. You could never make those films now. You could never make ‘Boyz N the Hood’ now.”
Morris believed in spite of media attention from Black Lives Matter, the push for awareness of minority voices will not translate directly to more prominence for black artists.
“In truth, Black Lives Matter says we’re paying attention to everything because if our lives don’t matter then your lives don’t matter,” said Morris. “And they’ve done a lot of work and they are doing a lot of work. But I think it’s a long journey from that to those 25, 35, 135 million dollar movies.”
“Boyz N the Hood” came from a young USC grad making an identity as “a black filmmaker repping Los Angeles.”
Singleton describes his first feature as a bridge between what he saw and grew up with in Los Angeles and his study of Italian neorealism (films like “The Bicycle Thieves” and “Open City”). Yet there was one figure in Singleton’s life who started the whole quest.
“I look at it as a time capsule of what I was thinking and feeling at the time,” said Singleton. “I was 20 years old and I went and saw ‘Do the Right Thing,” which came out in the summer of 1989. Spike [Lee] has always been my cinematic big brother. Before I went to school and he visited La he pushed other people out of the way to shake my hand. I told him I was going to USC Film School and for him to watch out for me. So I went to school for four years rapping black cinema. I was one of the only black filmmakers and students in a predominantly white film culture. It was a continued marginalization – the attitude was there was only one Spike Lee. I was like, ‘I’m not the next Spike Lee, I’m the next John Singleton.’”
The need to create “Boyz” was driven by Singleton’s desire to write a film about what he knew: to go back to his family and figure out this story.
“I was at USC, which was still adjunct to the neighborhood I was growing up in,” said Singleton. “And I wouldn’t say I was having Ptsd because I was still in the environment, but I was having dreams like that. Having dreams about the stuff I’d seen in my childhood and teenage years. But I’m on an island – if you step off the campus, you’re in the mix. This is the 80s still. The script for ‘Boyz’ came out of that.”
Read More: The 10 Best Oscar-Nominated Directors
There are promising movies to Singleton that are immersed in a time and place. A favorite of his? “Beasts of the Southern Wild.”
Singleton and Mosley lavished praise on Benh Zeitlin’s 2012 film, which Mosley helped foster when Zeitlin brought the script to Sundance Labs in 2008.
“Beautiful, beautiful film,” said Singleton. “Benh [Zeitlin] did a great job on that. There a scene where she goes over on that ferry and goes to that place, and it’s a questionable place…you don’t know if she’s seeing her mother or a vision of her mother, and the woman fries that alligator tail. And she’s telling this quasi-sexual story. But that never could’ve been done if the filmmakers didn’t live down there. And he’s not black, but he’s a brother, you know? If you see that movie, he takes you somewhere special and different, and he does it in an interesting, lyrical kind of way.”
The two took inspiration from how Zeitlin and his crew went spent several months in Louisiana taking in the culture of a world that would become The Bathtub. “They lived with the film,” said Mosley. Singleton thought other filmmakers should take note.
“I’m interested in doing a quasi-sort of thing with Chinese kids. I’m not Chinese. But I’m going to immerse myself in what these kids are going for,” said Singleton. “There’s not enough of that. And you can be from a certain culture and not know anything about where you’re from, too. That’s why a lot of black filmmakers are making marginal films right now. Because they’re not really astute at what the weight is that came before them. If you’re making gumbo, and the base is bad, it’s not going to taste good.”
Singleton wants his work to serve as a “conduit” for the voiceless.
Director of eight films and three TV shows since “Boyz,” Singleton has kept himself busy in the past 25 years. Yet the work that interests him to this date remains small, personal, ostracized stories.
“I always wanted to be the kind of storyteller that was still accessible to folks,” said Singleton. “I’m doing Snowfall [the upcoming series for FX], I have another show called Rebel which just got announced… I’m interested in continuing the foundation that was set with ‘Boyz.’ Near my office there’s a park I go to, and I see people who just got released, people who are schizophrenic, people who are living from halfway house to halfway house. When you’re in and around folks, you get stories.”
“Everyone has stories to tell, but not everyone has a way to tell it. Not everyone can sit down and write it, damn near make a movie about it. But what I feel is that I’m a conduit for those folks,” he said. “And I’m not so visible that I’m not accessible. I’m not on TV all the time, I’m not doing the celebrity thing. I’d like to think I work like Ernest Hemingway. He would travel to different places, and he would write about his experiences. I love listening and talking to folks, and that’s how I get the rhythm and cadence of language.”
Stay up to date with breaking TV news and all your favorite shows: Sign up for the Indiewire TV newsletter today!
Related stories2017 Oscar Predictions: Best Picture2017 Oscar Predictions: Best Director2017 Oscar Predictions: Best Actor...
After the screening, Oscar-nominated writer and director Singleton sat down with acclaimed author Walter Mosley to discuss what “Boyz” means 25 years later, including how it launched its career, how time has shifted its cultural weight and, for Singleton, how film increasingly struggles to mean anything culturally. Read five highlights from the talk below:
Read More: John Singleton Channels August Wilson – Pens Op-ed On White Directors Helming Black Films
Singleton uses two words to describe the current state of black cinema: “Dismal” and “abysmal.”
At the discussion, Singleton repeatedly discussed his interest in films specific to culture and afro-centric experiences. Yet he lamented that films like that are not being made by other minority directors, especially in the studio system.
“It doesn’t matter how many hits and how much money the movies are making,” said Singleton. “They don’t have any cultural consciousness to them now. They have smatterings and little bits here and there, but it’s abysmal. It’s not like every movie has to make a statement at all. Movies don’t have to preach, they’re entertainment first.”
“But in terms of cultural weight – if we have cultural weight, it will be entertaining. And that’s what I feel I try to go for. I just try to rep hard for Spike [Lee], when he was starting he was trying to get people to say ‘hey listen, we can have our own idiom in film. We can have a black film aesthetic. We can have a thing that’s unique.’ When I do whatever I’m trying to do, I’m still trying to rep that,” he said.
This lack of personal voices in film is a result of a studio culture that he doesn’t think would support “Boyz N the Hood” today.
Mosley and Singleton broke down how unlike government-sanctioned international cinema that “gives artists free reign to have dissenting views,” said Singleton, cultural specificity is lost in commerce-driven american cinema.
“There are so many stories that have yet to be chronicled about what really went on in Los Angeles in the early 80s,” said Singleton. “Yet our film culture is all based on commerce. You have a paucity of personal voices in film. Yes, you have a lot of independent films that are getting made, but even so they’re not what they were. You don’t have as many anachronistic true voices that are different from the norm. You have that at a lower level where people are making films on their iPhones now, doing new stuff.”
“There used to be a time where you had a support of these acrostic voices. These films that were really specific…you don’t have that with the studios right now,” Singleton added. “That’s why American cinema is really suffering right now. It’s sort of like the small movies are the farm stuff for the big films. If George Lucas didn’t make ‘American Graffiti,’ he wouldn’t have ‘Star Wars.’ And ‘American Graffiti’ is specific to a sort of time and place that was changing and evolving. You could never make those films now. You could never make ‘Boyz N the Hood’ now.”
Morris believed in spite of media attention from Black Lives Matter, the push for awareness of minority voices will not translate directly to more prominence for black artists.
“In truth, Black Lives Matter says we’re paying attention to everything because if our lives don’t matter then your lives don’t matter,” said Morris. “And they’ve done a lot of work and they are doing a lot of work. But I think it’s a long journey from that to those 25, 35, 135 million dollar movies.”
“Boyz N the Hood” came from a young USC grad making an identity as “a black filmmaker repping Los Angeles.”
Singleton describes his first feature as a bridge between what he saw and grew up with in Los Angeles and his study of Italian neorealism (films like “The Bicycle Thieves” and “Open City”). Yet there was one figure in Singleton’s life who started the whole quest.
“I look at it as a time capsule of what I was thinking and feeling at the time,” said Singleton. “I was 20 years old and I went and saw ‘Do the Right Thing,” which came out in the summer of 1989. Spike [Lee] has always been my cinematic big brother. Before I went to school and he visited La he pushed other people out of the way to shake my hand. I told him I was going to USC Film School and for him to watch out for me. So I went to school for four years rapping black cinema. I was one of the only black filmmakers and students in a predominantly white film culture. It was a continued marginalization – the attitude was there was only one Spike Lee. I was like, ‘I’m not the next Spike Lee, I’m the next John Singleton.’”
The need to create “Boyz” was driven by Singleton’s desire to write a film about what he knew: to go back to his family and figure out this story.
“I was at USC, which was still adjunct to the neighborhood I was growing up in,” said Singleton. “And I wouldn’t say I was having Ptsd because I was still in the environment, but I was having dreams like that. Having dreams about the stuff I’d seen in my childhood and teenage years. But I’m on an island – if you step off the campus, you’re in the mix. This is the 80s still. The script for ‘Boyz’ came out of that.”
Read More: The 10 Best Oscar-Nominated Directors
There are promising movies to Singleton that are immersed in a time and place. A favorite of his? “Beasts of the Southern Wild.”
Singleton and Mosley lavished praise on Benh Zeitlin’s 2012 film, which Mosley helped foster when Zeitlin brought the script to Sundance Labs in 2008.
“Beautiful, beautiful film,” said Singleton. “Benh [Zeitlin] did a great job on that. There a scene where she goes over on that ferry and goes to that place, and it’s a questionable place…you don’t know if she’s seeing her mother or a vision of her mother, and the woman fries that alligator tail. And she’s telling this quasi-sexual story. But that never could’ve been done if the filmmakers didn’t live down there. And he’s not black, but he’s a brother, you know? If you see that movie, he takes you somewhere special and different, and he does it in an interesting, lyrical kind of way.”
The two took inspiration from how Zeitlin and his crew went spent several months in Louisiana taking in the culture of a world that would become The Bathtub. “They lived with the film,” said Mosley. Singleton thought other filmmakers should take note.
“I’m interested in doing a quasi-sort of thing with Chinese kids. I’m not Chinese. But I’m going to immerse myself in what these kids are going for,” said Singleton. “There’s not enough of that. And you can be from a certain culture and not know anything about where you’re from, too. That’s why a lot of black filmmakers are making marginal films right now. Because they’re not really astute at what the weight is that came before them. If you’re making gumbo, and the base is bad, it’s not going to taste good.”
Singleton wants his work to serve as a “conduit” for the voiceless.
Director of eight films and three TV shows since “Boyz,” Singleton has kept himself busy in the past 25 years. Yet the work that interests him to this date remains small, personal, ostracized stories.
“I always wanted to be the kind of storyteller that was still accessible to folks,” said Singleton. “I’m doing Snowfall [the upcoming series for FX], I have another show called Rebel which just got announced… I’m interested in continuing the foundation that was set with ‘Boyz.’ Near my office there’s a park I go to, and I see people who just got released, people who are schizophrenic, people who are living from halfway house to halfway house. When you’re in and around folks, you get stories.”
“Everyone has stories to tell, but not everyone has a way to tell it. Not everyone can sit down and write it, damn near make a movie about it. But what I feel is that I’m a conduit for those folks,” he said. “And I’m not so visible that I’m not accessible. I’m not on TV all the time, I’m not doing the celebrity thing. I’d like to think I work like Ernest Hemingway. He would travel to different places, and he would write about his experiences. I love listening and talking to folks, and that’s how I get the rhythm and cadence of language.”
Stay up to date with breaking TV news and all your favorite shows: Sign up for the Indiewire TV newsletter today!
Related stories2017 Oscar Predictions: Best Picture2017 Oscar Predictions: Best Director2017 Oscar Predictions: Best Actor...
- 6/13/2016
- by Russell Goldman
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Hard-hitting TV drama will recount the crack cocaine epidemic of 1980s La.
Their last movie caused riots in Belgian cinemas. Now, hip young Belgian auteurs Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are to direct a new, hard-hitting TV drama about the crack cocaine epidemic in La in the early 1980s. The new drama, Snowfall, has been co-written by John Singleton (Boyz n The Hood).
It has been confirmed in Cannes that El Arbi and Fallah (directors of gang movie Black, which was partially set in the notorious Molenbeek area of Brussels) are to work together on the pilot of Snowfall for the FX network.
Set in Los Angeles in 1981, the Snowfall pilot will show how the crack cocaine epidemic first took hold.
The drama follows Franklin Saint, a young street entrepreneur on a quest for power; Gustavo Zapata, a Mexican wrestler turned gangster in search of his American dream; and CIA agent Teddy McDonald.
In a statement...
Their last movie caused riots in Belgian cinemas. Now, hip young Belgian auteurs Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are to direct a new, hard-hitting TV drama about the crack cocaine epidemic in La in the early 1980s. The new drama, Snowfall, has been co-written by John Singleton (Boyz n The Hood).
It has been confirmed in Cannes that El Arbi and Fallah (directors of gang movie Black, which was partially set in the notorious Molenbeek area of Brussels) are to work together on the pilot of Snowfall for the FX network.
Set in Los Angeles in 1981, the Snowfall pilot will show how the crack cocaine epidemic first took hold.
The drama follows Franklin Saint, a young street entrepreneur on a quest for power; Gustavo Zapata, a Mexican wrestler turned gangster in search of his American dream; and CIA agent Teddy McDonald.
In a statement...
- 5/11/2016
- by geoffrey@macnab.demon.co.uk (Geoffrey Macnab)
- ScreenDaily
Snowfall, John Singleton's 1980s cocaine-epidemic drama pilot, is getting a revamp. Co-created and executive produced by the Boyz N The Hood director Singleton and Eric Amadio, the original pilot was written by Singleton and Amadio and directed by Singleton. The script has now undergone a rewrite by executive producer/showrunner Dave Andron, with Singleton and Amadio involved in the process. There will be casting changes and reshoots done by a new director, with a search…...
- 4/18/2016
- Deadline TV
Arturo Del Puerto (Ride Along 2), has booked a recurring role on the upcoming second season of AMC's Fear The Walking Dead. He’ll play Carlos, who’s guarded but possesses a spiritual understanding of the world. The Walking Dead companion series focuses on new characters and storylines. Season 2 premieres on April 10. Del Puerto just wrapped a series regular role on FX’s pilot Snowfall. He can currently be seen on the big screen in Ride Along 2 and will next be seen in…...
- 1/29/2016
- Deadline TV
Deadline reports it is increasingly likely that FX will pick up John Singleton's Snowfall pilot. According to Deadline, the California Film Commission approved the production's "...application for tax incentives should it go to series."
Set in 1980s Los Angeles, the drama features the crack cocaine epidemic of that decade. The cast of Snowfall includes: Damson Idris, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, and Billy Magnussen.
Read More…...
Set in 1980s Los Angeles, the drama features the crack cocaine epidemic of that decade. The cast of Snowfall includes: Damson Idris, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, and Billy Magnussen.
Read More…...
- 12/23/2015
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Snowfall, John Singleton’s 1980s cocaine-epidemic drama pilot, got a boost in its pickup chances today when the California Film Commission approved its application for tax incentives should it go to series. I hear FX brass only received the pilot last week and are not close to making a decision. But observers point to the network’s track record of the vast majority of its pilots going to series. And the tax breaks application alone underscores FX’s high hopes for the…...
- 12/22/2015
- Deadline TV
Tim Matheson and Camila Banus have booked roles in Snowfall, FX’s drama pilot directed by John Singleton. Set in the early 1980s at the beginning of a crack cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles, it focuses on three main characters: ambitious dealer Franklin Saint (Damson Idris), ex-Mexican wrestler and now gangster Gustavo Zapata (Sergio Peris-Mencheta) and prodigal son Logan Miller (Billy Magnussen). Matheson will play Logan’s father George Miller, a wealthy oil titan. A…...
- 9/26/2015
- Deadline TV
Andrew Howard and Manuel Uriza have landed series regular roles in FX's drama pilot Snowfall. Co-created and co-written by the Boyz N The Hood director John Singleton and Eric Amadio and directed by Singleton, Snowfall is set against the infancy of the crack cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles in the 1980s. Howard, repped by ICM Partners and Link, will play Avi Drexler, an unpredictable cocaine dealer operating in the San Fernando Valley. Uriza, repped by Rebel Entertainment…...
- 8/21/2015
- Deadline TV
12 Monkeys
David Marciano ("Homeland") and David Dastmalchian ("Ant-Man") have scored guest roles on the upcoming second season of Syfy's "12 Monkeys". Both will debut in episode six of the sci-fi thriller’s second season in scenes set in 1975.
Marciano will play a NYPD detective who is following a serial killer who has a dangerous affiliation with the Army of the 12 Monkeys. Dastmalchian plays a Vietnam vet whose mind is connected to time in a unique way. [Source: Variety]
The Daily Show
Comedy Central has released a new promo for the first episode of South African stand-up comedian Trevor Noah's new stint as host of "The Daily Show," taking over for Jon Stewart in the big chair from September 28th.
The Man Who Wasn't
Thomas Caplan's Ty Hunter novel series are getting a TV series adaptation with the hunky Trevor Donovan attached to the series in the lead role.
Garth Ancier will produce...
David Marciano ("Homeland") and David Dastmalchian ("Ant-Man") have scored guest roles on the upcoming second season of Syfy's "12 Monkeys". Both will debut in episode six of the sci-fi thriller’s second season in scenes set in 1975.
Marciano will play a NYPD detective who is following a serial killer who has a dangerous affiliation with the Army of the 12 Monkeys. Dastmalchian plays a Vietnam vet whose mind is connected to time in a unique way. [Source: Variety]
The Daily Show
Comedy Central has released a new promo for the first episode of South African stand-up comedian Trevor Noah's new stint as host of "The Daily Show," taking over for Jon Stewart in the big chair from September 28th.
The Man Who Wasn't
Thomas Caplan's Ty Hunter novel series are getting a TV series adaptation with the hunky Trevor Donovan attached to the series in the lead role.
Garth Ancier will produce...
- 8/18/2015
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Arturo Del Puerto (The Lottery) has booked a series regular role opposite Billy Magnussen in FX's drama pilot Snowfall. Co-created and co-written by the Boyz N The Hood director John Singleton and Eric Amadio and directed by Singleton, Snowfall is set against the infancy of the crack cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles in the 1980s. Del Puerto, repped by Main Title and Aka, will play Rico Santiago, Logan Miller’s (Magnussen) right-hand man as they venture into the L.A…...
- 8/14/2015
- Deadline TV
Spanish actor Sergio Peris-Mencheta has been tapped for a lead role opposite Damson Idris and Billy Magnussen in FX's drama pilot Snowfall, about the beginnings of the crack cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles in the 80's. Co-written by John Singleton and Eric Amadio and directed by Singleton, Snowfall is set against the infancy of the epidemic and its ultimate radical impact on the culture as we know it. Peris-Mencheta, repped by Apa and Vision Entertainment, will play…...
- 7/31/2015
- Deadline TV
DeRay Davis has been cast as a series regular in Snowfall, FX's drama pilot from John Singleton about the beginnings of the crack cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles in the 1980s. Co-created and co-written by the Boyz N The Hood director Singleton and Eric Amadio and directed by Singleton, Snowfall is set against the infancy of the crack cocaine epidemic and its ultimate radical impact on the culture as we know it. Davis will play Jerome Saint, a tough criminal who helps his…...
- 7/17/2015
- Deadline TV
Exclusive: British newcomer Damson Idris has been set to co-star in FX’s pilot Snowfall, co-written and to be directed by John Singleton. He joins Billy Magnussen in the cast of the drama about the beginnings of the crack cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles in the 1980s. Snowfall follows three characters on a violent collision course, and Idris will play one of them: Franklin Saint, young street entrepreneur on a quest for power. Born and raised on the streets of South…...
- 7/9/2015
- Deadline TV
Billy Magnussen, who plays Kato Kaelin in FX’s upcoming 10-hour limited series American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson, is expanding his relationship with the network with another project about events from Los Angeles’ recent history. Magnussen has been tapped as one of the leads of Snowfall, FX’s drama pilot from John Singleton about the beginnings of the crack cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles in the 1980s. Co-created and co-written by the Boyz n the Hood…...
- 6/29/2015
- Deadline TV
The Passing Season
"Sense8" and "Stargate Universe" hunk Brian J. Smith has signed on to star in Gabriel Long's indie drama "The Passing Season" which begins shooting this week in Rhode Island.
In the script by Long and Matthew-Lee Erlbach, Smith will play a pro hockey player whose career comes to an abrupt end. He returns to his hometown, reconnects with a group of high school friends. [Source: Deadline]
Snowfall
Billy Magnussen has scored one of the lead roles in John Singleton's drugs drama series "Snowfall" for FX. The story is set against the infancy of the crack cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles in the 1980s and its ultimate impact on the culture.
Magnussen will play one of three characters on a violent collision course. His is a wealthy family's black sheep who risks everything to become a player in the burgeoning cocaine trade. Filming begins this Summer. [Source: Deadline]
Swallows and Amazons...
"Sense8" and "Stargate Universe" hunk Brian J. Smith has signed on to star in Gabriel Long's indie drama "The Passing Season" which begins shooting this week in Rhode Island.
In the script by Long and Matthew-Lee Erlbach, Smith will play a pro hockey player whose career comes to an abrupt end. He returns to his hometown, reconnects with a group of high school friends. [Source: Deadline]
Snowfall
Billy Magnussen has scored one of the lead roles in John Singleton's drugs drama series "Snowfall" for FX. The story is set against the infancy of the crack cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles in the 1980s and its ultimate impact on the culture.
Magnussen will play one of three characters on a violent collision course. His is a wealthy family's black sheep who risks everything to become a player in the burgeoning cocaine trade. Filming begins this Summer. [Source: Deadline]
Swallows and Amazons...
- 6/29/2015
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
DeRay Davis and Lauren London... Aka Jerome and Louie! My Snowfall family is growing.. We doing the flyest La show ever. YAll gonna know.. Soon. Snowfall.. La 1981.. A storm is coming to the city and its name is cocaine.. A photo posted by John Singleton (@johnsingleton) on Jun 9, 2015 at 2:33pm Pdt Based on the above Instagram post from director John Singleton, it appears that DeRay Davis and Lauren London have been cast in his previously-announced FX-network-ordered 1980s-set crack cocaine era drama titled "Snowfall," described succinctly, if reductively, as "Boyz n the Hood meets The Wire," playing characters named "Jerome" and...
- 6/10/2015
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
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