London – Thursday 10th October – Prime Video provides an in-depth look and four new images of the legendary fictional character, Detective Alex Cross, based on the iconic character created by the best-selling author James Patterson.
In Prime Video’s brand new series, Alex Cross is a strong but sensitive man with an undeniable presence. An obsessive learner, Alex is an acclaimed detective and forensic psychologist with the Washington D.C. Metro PD. He’s also a grieving widowed father of two, who is about to crack open the biggest case of his life.
Since the launch of the first Alex Cross book, Along Came a Spider in 1993, there have been over 30 books in James Patterson’s Alex Cross series with over 400 million copies sold worldwide. Those beloved books have inspired three movies, starring Morgan Freeman and Tyler Perry respectively. Many eagle-eyed fans will have spotted that his earlier books were named after famous children’s rhymes and poems (Jack & Jill, Pop Goes the Weasel, Roses are Red, The Big Bad Wolf, London Bridges and Mary, Mary), but from 2006 our lead protagonist started commanding the titles of later works. Over the last 30 years, James Patterson has given fans the time and stories to discover who the real Alex Cross is.
For those yet to read cover to cover, Ben Watkins, the creator, showrunner and executive producer behind the new Prime Video thriller Cross, wanted to dig deeper into the world of the fabled forensic psychologist and detective.
“When this got put in front of me as a potential project to adapt to a television series, I got excited”. “One, this is the type of stuff I would want to watch. Two, it had a legacy that included Morgan Freeman. Three, when I read the books, I realized that there were actually some opportunities to do things that didn’t get done in the movies.” The next step for Watkins was finding the right man to play Alex Cross and as it turns out, Aldis Hodge was his muse.
“I had a dream that Aldis would be Alex Cross. He was the blueprint. I didn’t think I could get him and thought he was unavailable. But the stars aligned, and then all of a sudden, I was sitting down with him.” Watkins, who first met Hodge and his older brother, Edwin Hodge, in a celebrity basketball league when the actors were teenagers, said “I was really impressed by the way that they were respectful but confident and they carved out space for themselves”. After formally meeting for the role Watkins stated “he has this very intense intellectual feel to him, and I knew Alex Cross had to have that. But I also needed the vulnerability. That vulnerability and the accessibility, because for this to work, Alex Cross can’t be a superhero.”
Starring in the titular role is Aldis Hodge, who in turn, was drawn to Cross because of the protagonist’s complexity and his personal love of true crime. “I’m a fan of true crime for sure. I’m definitely a big psychology buff. I like to understand the nature of people’s psychosis, why they do what they do, what motivates certain things. When we started the show, we had consultations with real detectives out in D.C.. For me, I just like to understand the nature of human behavior and different patterns.” Exploring Alex Cross’ fatherly side, Hodge was also excited to bring his parental experience to the role. “Being a parent in real life, helps inform your character’s parental instincts,” Hodge explains. “I am absolutely in love with fatherhood. My daughter is the best thing ever. She’s 2 1/2, and running things in my house. There is a beautiful vulnerability to Cross that we get to see because he is a father.
When asking what Hodge hopes audiences will take away from the series “I hope people get pure entertainment and joy. It’s a show that’s fun, emotional, sexy, and it has all the pieces. If you know the books, I hope you come and get what you feel you’ve been reading forever.”
Cross is a crime thriller series that follows Alex Cross, a decorated D.C. homicide detective and forensic psychologist, who faces a sadistic serial killer leaving a string of bodies strewn around the city. As Alex and his partner, John Sampson (Isaiah Mustafa), track this killer, a mysterious threat from Alex’s past returns to destroy everything he’s done to keep his grieving family, career, and life together. Juanita Jennings, Alona Tal, Samantha Walkes, Caleb Elijah, Melody Hurd, Jennifer Wigmore, Eloise Mumford, and Ryan Eggold also star; creator and executive producer Ben Watkins serves as showrunner.
