During this year’s New York Comic Con, Amazon Prime’s upcoming iteration of James Patterson’s beloved detective Cross had some sneak previews and a panel discussion. I was lucky to go in person and learn about what to expect. Here are some highlights.
Among the panelists and in order of the photograph is:
Ben Watkins, the showrunner
Aldis Hodge, playing Alex Cross
Isaiah Mustafa, playing John Sampson
Samantha Walkes, playing Elle Monteiro
Alona Tal, playing Kayla Craig
Ryan Eggold, playing Ed Ramsey
They were joined by Joy Reid, a political commentator and television host familiar with the DC area.
Joy first shares that she was able to see a few episodes already and without giving away spoilers, this show is more than just a detective show. It is about grief, family, and “black love and black pain which we especially do not get to see onscreen.” Which Ben said was very intentional. He explained he was always a crime junkie but as he read more crime books, he saw that the appeal was not the crimes, it was the characters, the brotherhood, and its implications on mental health. So he wanted to make sure his show focused on those aspects. “You show up for the mystery, but you won’t stay for that, you stay for the characters.”
Aldis points out that this is also the first time that this character is being helmed by a black person. For the actor, he was also drawn to playing this iconic character that has 30 books and three films in the past played by Morgan Freeman and Tyler Perry in the past for a various of reasons. He was a new father and Cross is a loving and dedicated father. Aldis also was able to speak with the author, James Patterson on what the inspiration behind Alex Cross was, why write so many books centered around him and combining all of these elements, collaborating with Ben, is what we will see on the screen.
Isaiah plays Alex Cross’ best friend, John Sampson. The whole panel shared that they were happy to show two black men who love each other and are in each other’s lives in such a positive way while dealing with such dark issues with grief and mental health. It is rare to see it on screen. A little later, there was a joke of what was scarier to work on, this set with a serial killer on the loose or on It: Chapter 2, to which Isaiah replied, “This! Serial killers are real!”
Samantha plays a love interest for the widowed Alex Cross. She explained that it was great they are showing the complexities of finding new love and not only that, but that it is a black love front and center. She didn’t see this growing up and it is a highlight of her career to be able to do so
Alona plays the FBI Agent Kayla Craig and former partner to Alex Cross. She is not humble and is trusted implexity by Cross. They hint that there are easter eggs of why this is so that they hope can elaborate in future seasons. Thankfully, it is already it is announced that it has been approved for a second season.
Ben pointed out the reason why the female characters are so well developed is because he had great women writers to make sure to fill out these characters out. He also shared that they are inspired partly by his wife. But he wanted to make sure that he had the right balance and diversity in the writers room and behind the scenes so that everyone on the screen had their place and was not just decorative to accompany the lead. Joy and the audience (and the rest of the panel) applauded in agreement and Joy testified that it showed.
Ryan Eggold was last and Joy said, “With every great series, there needs a great villain.”
“I was going for sweet.” Joked Ryan but truly, they explain that his character is a DC elitist and has a lack of empathy, and community, is egotistical, and wants to climb the ladder. He is the opposite of Cross which is fun to play and good to see the juxtaposition.
So those are the characters but now for the interesting part of the plot: the main mystery this season is not based in any of the books. Ben wanted to find a mystery and a killer that would fit into the modern world and tap in the now and had Patterson’s encouragement. He said this was actually the scariest part but he took the challenge. Now we get actual time with the killer, seeing things from their perspective which has not been done before in a Cross story.
Finally, we finished off the discussion with Ben sharing his process when he was creating the blueprint for the show.
He shared that he had to trust his self conscious. For instance, he was constantly drawn to the two main men’s friendships, not the serial killers, therefore, he knew when writing his show, he wanted to make sure the show centered around the friendship, not the mystery.
Then his process included making a collage and an 80-minute playlist of what he felt the show looked and sounded like. Once those are established, he got to make the outline and storylines.
His other main advice is, “Aggressively go after honest feedback, it’ll make you rich.”
Cross will start on Amazon Prime on November 14th. I certainly will be watching, will you?
