‘Snowfall’ universe expands: Leon and Wanda Step into the spotlight; New spinoff to chronicle the rise of west coast rap

The makers have ordered a spinoff of its crime drama series "Snowfall".The untitled project is set to focus on the secondary characters Leon and Wanda played by Isaiah John and Gail Bean respectively, according to the entertainment news outlet The Hollywood Reporter."Snowfall" follows the early days of the crack cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles during the beginning of the 1980s and is centred around the lives of an African American crime family, led by budding drug dealer Franklin Saint, played by Damson Idris.In the series, Leon serves as Franklin's best friend and second-in-command of the Family while Wanda, who first appeared in the second season, is Leon's girlfriend turned wife who becomes addicted to crack cocaine before being detoxed."Set in '90s Los Angeles soon after the end of the original series, a recovering addict strives to take West Coast rap mainstream - while gang wars erupt and record labels move to exploit hip hop culture for their own gain," the synopsis of the series helmed by Malcolm Spellman reads."This new series takes us back to one of the most formative eras in music with the birth of the West Coast rap revolution," said Nick Grad, the president of FX in a statement.

"We worked with Malcolm Spellman on the documentary series 'Hip Hop Uncovered' and he has encyclopedic knowledge of this material. This is a breakout starring role for Gail Bean and, as always, Isaiah John is terrific along with the ensemble cast. 'Snowfall' was one of the most successful FX dramas ever and we're excited that Dave Andron, Thomas Schlamme and other veterans of the Snowfall creative team are on board," he added.Actors Asante Blackk, Peyton Alex Smith and Simmie Sims III will also play pivotal roles in the project.