John Singleton teaming up with FX Networks for period drug epidemic pilot

FX Networks has announced that the station has ordered the drama pilot Snowfall from award-winning filmmaker John Singleton. The announcement was made by FX Original Programming presidents Nick Grad and Eric Schrier. Singleton will direct the pilot this summer, based on a script he co-wrote with Eric Amadio. Justified’s Dave Andron will Executive Produce the project.

Snowfall takes place in Los Angeles, circa 1981. A storm is coming and its name is cocaine. The one-hour drama is set against the infancy of the crack cocaine epidemic and ultimately, its radical impact on American culture. The story centers on three characters heading for a violent collision course: Franklin Saint, young street entrepreneur on a quest for power; Gustavo Zapata, a Mexican wrestler turned gangster in search of his American dream; and Logan Miller, a prominent family’s “black sheep” desperate to escape his father’s shadow.

“Snowfall takes us on a wild ride through one of LA’s most fascinating cultural and social periods, and no one can tell this story better than John Singleton,” said Schrier. “The pilot script by John and Eric brilliantly depicts the era through the story of three captivating characters, and we can’t wait to see John’s execution of it.”

“I have always been fascinated with that volatile moment in time before crack changed everything,” said Singleton. “It’s a tense, insane and sexy era that touched every aspect of our culture. I couldn’t have better partners for this journey.”

Singleton (Boyz n the Hood, Four Brothers, 2 Fast 2 Furious), who received two Academy Award nominations for Boyz n the Hood, will also Executive Produce Snowfall, along with Andron, Academy Award nominee Michael London of Groundswell Productions (Sideways, House of Sand and Fog, Thirteen), Amadio (Stuntmen, After Sex), and Trevor Engelson (Remember Me, All About Steve) of Underground. FX Productions is producing Snowfall.