The highly-anticipated Cross series that’s set to hit Prime Video this November will certainly share similarities with James Patterson’s novels, but star Aldis Hodge is breaking down where that resemblance ends. Hodge stars as Detective Alex Cross in the latest Patterson adaptation, which comes 12 years after Tyler Perry’s box office flop that premiered in 2012 and failed to earn back its budget.
Speaking with TV Insider to promote the upcoming series, Hodge went into great detail about his character, and the similarities that Cross shares with the novels in regard to the appearance of other fan favorites. Patterson’s novels have built a tremendous following over the years, and the Prime Video show will look to bring some of its familiar faces to life in order to serve that loyal audience.
“Like in the books, John Sampson (Isaiah Mustafa) is his best friend and brother-in-arms. He’s the guy who can course-correct Cross when he veers off the rails, going a little too deep into his mania. His grandmother known as Nana Mama (Juanita Jennings) raised him because his parents died young. Now she’s helping raise his children Damon (Caleb Elijah) and Jannie (Melody Hurd). Cross actually has a whole community in D.C. That’s something that I really enjoy. He patrols the neighborhood where he grew up and we get to show the kind of people who live there.”
How Does Cross Compare to the Film Adaptations?
When it comes to comparing Cross to the previous big screen adaptations that came before it, Hodge says there is no comparison. Morgan Freeman portrayed the character in Kiss the Girls (1997) and Along Came a Spider (2001), while Tyler Perry took over for Alex Cross in 2012. The Freeman films are considered classics today, but the Perry one… not so much. Led by showrunner Ben Watkins, Hodge says that Cross “stands on its own,” and doesn’t lean on the past to rely on its success.
“I would say there is no comparison; it stands on its own. [Showrunner] Ben Watkins was able to make something completely unique.”
Which James Patterson Novel Will Cross Adapt?
While the aforementioned films all took their cues from Patterson’s novels, don’t look for Cross to do the same. Despite the appearance of familiar characters, its story will be its own, and only look to adapt the basic essence of the books in favor of presenting audiences with a fresh story that will leave us all in suspense, rather than work toward an ending from the novels that we already know.
“It is based on the foundation of Alex Cross, but Ben takes the bone structure of that world and fills it up with a beautiful story… We’ll treat the season as if it’s a book with a primary storyline. But there are other stories that establish the journeys of the characters.”
As for Hodge’s nemesis in the series? He says the serial killer is “definitely a formidable opponent for Cross” with a “a very specific and unique ambition that drives what he does and why he does it.”
Having already been renewed for a second season that’s almost done filming, it’s clear that Hodge, Patterson, Watkins, and Amazon MGM are expecting big things from Cross, and so are we. Given the success of the Lee Child adaptation, Reacher, here’s hoping that the series can follow in its footsteps and provide another hit thriller that we can talk about for years to come.
Look for
Cross
to premiere on Prime Video beginning November 14.
