“Spinners,” the South African extreme sports action drama series, returns for a second season that brings back the creators, writers and cast of the hit series set in Cape Town.
Co-produced by African streaming service Showmax and Canal+, season 2 of “Spinners” was filmed in South Africa with showrunner and co-creator Benjamin Hoffman. Returning to the director’s chair is Jaco Bouwer, whose credits include the SXSW award-winning eco-horror film “Gaia.” Matthew Jankes and Sean Steinberg who wrote season 2 are also back.
Joachim Landau is once again producing the crime drama for the Middle East, Africa and Caribbean Federation, alongside Ramadan Suleman (“Zulu Love Letter”) who is co-producing it through his full-service South African company Natives at Large.
Studiocanal, whose sister company Canal+ commissioned the series, is revealing a first look at season 2 as Mipcom approaches. The show illustrates the creative synergies between the French television group and Showtime, the streaming service of MultiChoice, the pan-African pay television operator now entirely owned by Canal+ and present in 50 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
The first season of “Spinners” made history as the first African series to compete in the main Canneseries competition in 2023 and won awards at the Dakar Series and the Shanghai TV Festival, as well as three nominations at the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTA).
The first season followed 17-year-old Ethan (Cantona James) seeking a way out of the Southside’s bloody cycle of gang violence through spinning, a South African extreme motorsport in which drivers perform daredevil stunts. Season 2 takes place two years after Ethan and his friends escaped the violent grip of gang life and became shooting stars in the big city. “Fame, love, and happiness finally seem within reach, until a brutal ambush, orchestrated by Ethan’s former gang, shatters their peace. Desperate, Ethan turns to the Maseko clan for help, but their protection comes at a high cost,” the synopsis reads.
Cantona James and Chelsea Thomas reprise their lead roles, alongside Brendon Daniels – who starred in “White Lies” alongside Natalie Dormer, and local star Dillon Windvogel (“Blood & Water”). Cameos include Kayla Olifant, a great spinner who was recently featured in the National Geographic series “David Blaine: Do Not Attempt.”
New Cast Members 2 of ‘Spinners’, Including ClifeMas’), Mondoli Loading Zwane (‘Sibongile and the Dlaminis’))
The production of season 2 of “Spinners” reflects Canal+’s ambition to increase its pipeline of Canal+ original series in Africa to eight shows per year from across Africa.
Since 2018, Canal+ has produced 35 Canal+ series with African talent in 11 different African countries. These include “Invisibles”, “Agent”, “Cacao”, “Miami Wata”, “Eki”, “White Gold”, “Niabla”, “Ewusu” and “Lakantane”.
