“Cross” team on why they didn't want to make a direct adaptation

Ben Watkins, Aldis Hodge, Isaiah Mustafa, and James Patterson discuss the new Prime Video series.

In some ways, Aldis Hodge has been auditioning for Alex Cross since he was a teenager.

Growing up, Hodge played in a Los Angeles basketball league filled with people in the entertainment industry, and one of his fellow players happened to be writer Ben Watkins (Burn Notice). Watkins recalls making a “mental note” of both Aldis and his brother Edwin. “I was struck by how they moved through this environment that was mostly people with big egos and mostly people that were really successful in the industry,” Watkins says. “They were completely aware of that and where they stacked up, and yet they somehow found a way to carve out some space there and be respectful but also be respected. I thought that was a really interesting dynamic considering their youth. So I made a note of it.”

Over the years, Watkins would hear from friends who’d worked with Hodge on different projects — people like Octavia Spencer, who worked with him on 2016's Hidden Figures. “I just kept getting these glimpses of him,” Watkins says.

Then, Watkins signed on as showrunner of Cross, a series based on the world of James Patterson’s beloved Alex Cross novels, which follows the even-keeled detective (and very skilled forensic psychologist) on the hunt for his wife's murderer. Watkins knew that he had to nail the casting. And once again, Hodge came to mind.

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“One of the things that I saw from long ago was how observant Aldis was and I realized that was a very natural quality he had and it was something that would be perfect for this role,” Watkins says. “As I watched his work, I had this sense that he'd be able to bring some swagger, some sex appeal, some edge. But also, I needed someone who was voracious intellectually. Then when we met, I realized I was getting so much more than that. It was one of those things where you have an idea of someone and they not only meet that expectation but they overdeliver.”

“I saw a lot of things personally that I would like to embody but also as an audience member, things that I wanted to watch,” Hodge says of the role. “I saw a character that was cool, calm, collected, imposing. He was smart, ethical, but had that edge.”

But playing Alex Cross isn’t your typical role. The whip-smart detective has appeared in 32 James Patterson novels spanning more than 30 years and selling more than 100 million copies. Not to mention that the character has been played on the big screen by both Morgan Freeman and Tyler Perry. It’s a role, and a project, that comes with a built-in fanbase, and because of that, it also comes loaded with a lot of expectations.

“When I started down the rabbit hole of reading the books and I rewatched the films, I was making a list of the things that I felt like the films hadn't done justice to,” Watkins says.

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That list then evolved into the series staples that Watkins wanted to make sure were a part of the show: Washington D.C. as the backdrop, Alex grappling with the murder of his wife, cutting to the villain’s POV, and of course, Alex’s lifelong best friend John Sampson supporting him (and calling him “Sugar”).

“If you've only watched the movies, you wouldn't know [about Sampson],” Watkins notes. “Then you get into the books and you're like, ‘This relationship is so layered and so rewarding and so nuanced and comforting.’ They're inseparable and you know you can count on that. I knew that that was one of the things we were going to have to channel for the show.”

When it came to selecting the perfect partner, the Cross showrunner let Hodge play a major role in identifying his ideal wingman. In the end, the role went to Isaiah Mustafa. “He’s my dude,” Hodge says of his costar. “That relationship explains so much about the why and who of Alex Cross, it’s imperative. If you know Cross, you gotta know Sampson.”

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Sampson is the guy Alex goes to for advice. And sometimes, he's the guy giving the advice even when Alex doesn't want to hear it. That's how you know they're real friends. “I always understood that John Sampson was this partner, this brother, someone to lean on,” Mustafa says. “They do have a brotherhood that is unparalleled to anything you've ever seen on television between two African American characters, so we wanted to really dig into that and make sure that that brotherhood is what fans recognize and what they pull from the show.”

But outside of those Alex Cross hallmarks, the Prime Video series hopes to capture the feeling of the novels more than the story of them. In other words, Cross is not a direct adaptation of any of Patterson’s novels. This story is a new one, complete with a cast that includes Juanita Jennings, Alona Tal, Samantha Walkes, Caleb Elijah, Melody Hurd, Jennifer Wigmore, Eloise Mumford, and Ryan Eggold.

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"I said I was not going to do any of the seasons based on the books," Watkins says. "I thought it was really important that we give fans a new offering, that we honor the characters and the world so that they would feel like they were getting what they signed up for, but also then give them a new story. They'll get what those books feel like."

For Patterson, it was an exciting development. “It’s something I say when anybody is developing one of my books or characters: I much prefer the story be brand new,” Patterson says. “I was hoping the show would be a breakthrough and not dependent on the book, and it’s happened."

As for Hodge, Patterson adds, “He’s great at portraying the issues of trying to be a detective and raising a family in this country right now. And he’s got some of that charisma stuff going on, too. What do the kids call it? Rizz?”

But speaking to being a detective in this country in 2024, and furthermore, a Black detective, Alex often finds himself in a difficult position — right in the middle of the tension between the police and the Black community, a topic that comes up as early as the series’ first episode.

“He understands what's getting done well, what's not getting done well. The thing that defines him is his moral fiber,” Hodge says of Cross. “He sits between a rock and a hard place sometimes. His life is not easy because he has to enforce policy but he also has to do so with respect to his community because he understands, without that badge, he may be sitting on the wrong end of said policy.”

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“We refused to gloss over it,” Watkins adds. “The sensitivity around the issue fluctuates in our society unfortunately, but when I got approached in 2021, this was really a hot topic. The conventional wisdom in Hollywood was basically: Stay away from cop shows for right now.”

But Watkins remembered some advice he’d received from a friend. “There was another controversy going on and I asked them if they would stay away from that issue and they said, ‘Well I consider myself an artist and because of that, if there is a hot topic issue, I lean into it, I don't avoid it.’ That's sort of how I proceeded ever since,” he says. “I thought it was really important that we shouldn't shy away from it. We're not here to preach, we're here to tell the truth from both sides. One of the rules of the [writers'] room was that both sides should make a winning argument.

“When you get a chance to see all of season 1, you'll see just how committed we were to honoring the truths of the complicated relationship that exists between law enforcement and the Black community," Watkins continues. "We do have a hero who is a detective and that is the show, so if we're going to have that conversation, let's make sure that it's a well-rounded one.”

And that conversation could just be getting started. Before Cross has even premiered on Prime Video, it’s been renewed for a season 2. (Remember that huge fandom we mentioned?) But Watkins assures fans that season 1 will still have a conclusion: "We're doing a mystery a season. You get to a closed chapter at the end of each season."

Much like in the books, many of the characters are in it for the long haul. As Watkins puts it, "We hope that people show up for the mystery, but we want them to stay for the characters."

Cross premieres Thursday, Nov. 14, on Prime Video.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.