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James Patterson’s Alex Cross novels number in the dozens since the beloved series started in 1993, and the fans of the Washington D.C. detective are innumerable. However, screen adaptations haven’t yet managed to capture the exact flavor of this damaged cop with a hero complex, complete with family issues, complex relationships, and plenty of enemies. That’s all about to change with Prime Video’s Cross, set to premiere on November 14, 2024.
The series stars Aldis Hodge as the eponymous hero, and creator and showrunner Ben Watkins has created a rich landscape and deeply-intimate narrative to draw in audiences, including both fans of the books and new viewers who may have watched the streamer’s other free-wheeling hits in this genre, Jack Ryan and Reacher, which have a similar “inspired by” vibes.
Watkins accompanied the cast to New York Comic Con to promote Cross, and his star gives all the credit to the writer’s vision in adapting the character more effectively than has been done previously.
“The first time we really sat down and talked about things, we really just talked about where we were in our lives as men,” Hodge tells Den of Geek. “What was going on, what we wanted, ambitions, fatherhood – all that kind of stuff. That’s what fed the character.”
In essence, Aldis Hodge looks like what most Patterson readers would picture when thinking of Alex Cross, much more so than Morgan Freeman or Tyler Perry from the big screen adaptations. As Hodge puts it: “What I’m noticing is that people are starting to see what they feel is a different idea and, to a degree, the ideation of the character that they envision in their head when they read the books.”
Hodge partly attributes the more faithful portrayal to the deeper storytelling that episodic television is able to achieve. “We are not just focused on the cases. We’re interested in the cases because we live with and love the people,” he says. “The value of Cross comes from the value of his interactions with the world, with the characters; that’s what helps shape him and drives him.”
It’s essentially a matter of the amount of time TV shows have to tell their story. “Those are all granted to us just because of the format,” says Hodge. “We have a show; we have the time; we can live in it a little bit longer; we can actually get to know these people. And at the end of the day, it really comes from this man’s vision,” he adds, pointing to Ben.
As for Watkins, he took joy in creating an authentic world for Alex Cross to inhabit by honing in on details of life as a cop in Washington, D.C., even though Cross is filmed mostly in Toronto. “We had a priority that we wanted to make sure that the city of D.C. would be reflected, not just the way people are used to seeing it with the halls of power and the Capitol buildings and all that but the whole fabric of D.C,” says Watkins.
One way of making the setting from the books a big part of Cross was by having Alex and his partner, John Sampson, meet regularly in the D.C. landmark restaurant Ben’s Chili Bowl. “We had the chance to meet with the owner’s daughter Vida [Ali], and she just really embraced us,” Watkins says. “We not only were able to shoot in Ben’s Chili, which in and of itself was a huge thing — they don’t normally let people shoot in there… she actually let us replicate Ben’s Chili in Toronto where most of the filming takes place. So we have what we call Ben’s Chili North up in Toronto.”
Speaking of Sampson, Isaiah Mustafa’s character is thankfully prominently featured in Cross, unlike in two out of the three big screen adaptations where the essential partnership was shockingly sidelined. “I call him the Michael Jordan and that makes me the Scottie Pippen,” Mustafa says.
“I think with Sampson, what you see is someone who is constantly there… It’s his brother; it’s his partner; it’s his co-worker; it’s his teammate,” he continues. “With Sampson and the Cross family, he’s got something there that he treasures, and it gives him strength… The reason you’re seeing so much more of him is because he is such an integral part of that Cross family.”
Despite grounding Cross in the novels, Watkins’ adaptation takes some liberties with new characters like Alex’s love interest Elle, but that allowed Samantha Walkes to build on a childhood backstory for her and Alex.
“It was definitely a collaboration reading between the lines of what [Ben] has written,” says Walkes. “Having these real moments: the high school dance, what I wore, that was all written in but then even before that how he would stick up for me on the playground, you know, I was bullied. Just giving myself these memories for Elle to really play out, and it just made it rich, the reaction which you will see between Cross and Elle.”
Alona Tal’s character, FBI agent Kayla Craig, probably wishes she had that level of closeness with Alex, and a flirtation arises that adds a bit of lightheartedness to Cross. “[Ben] writes funny, well-rounded characters that have layers to them. She’s not just an FBI agent… she’s smart; she enjoys the process of it; and she enjoys another person as smart as she is in Alex Cross,” Tal says. “And when people enjoy what they do, they bring humor and fun and levity to it, and that’s important.”
Gesturing to her other Cross cast members, she also points out that the audience will likely feel the same attraction. “It’s not very difficult to bring flirtation into a cast this beautiful!” she says, laughing.
Not all the characters are fun and friendly, however. When asked if he is bothered by the potential for Cross viewers to immediately be suspicious of his character Ed Ramsey, Ryan Eggold says, “No, that’s great — I hope that happens; that doesn’t bother me at all! This character is definitely hiding a few secrets when we meet him, and so you’re right on the money.”
After all, every good show needs a good antagonist!
All eight episodes of Cross premiere Thursday, November 14 on Prime Video.
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