Prime Video just unleashed the official trailer and first look images for CROSS.
Source: Courtesy / Prime Video
Prime Video Official Trailer For CROSS Starring Aldis Hodge
The rollout for the series, which stars Aldis Hodge as Alex Cross, has kept us drooling in anticipation since the initial reveal back in May. From Paramount Television Studios and Skydance Television, CROSS is a complex, twisted, pulse-pounding thriller created by showrunner and executive producer Ben Watkins, based upon the characters from James Patterson’s best-selling Alex Cross book series.
Alex Cross is a detective and forensic psychologist, uniquely capable of digging into the psyches of killers and their victims, in order to identify—and ultimately capture—the murderers. Hodge stars in the series and also serves as a producer. CROSS also stars Isaiah Mustafa, Juanita Jennings, Alona Tal, Samantha Walkes, Caleb Elijah, Melody Hurd, Jennifer Wigmore, Eloise Mumford, and Ryan Eggold.
Watch the trailer below:
There’s been so much talk about Hodge’s handsome leading man looks, but that trailer really blew us away with the way it was able to deliver a portrait of the depth of the character he’s portraying.
Source: Courtesy / Prime Video
How Is Prime Video’s CROSS Different Than Previous Versions?
From what we saw, this version of Alex Cross is a man who is deeply grief-stricken following the death of his wife. He’s also a father (we were excited to see Melody Hurd playing his daughter!) Speaking of familiar faces, we are excited to see Isaiah Mustafa starring as his right hand man John Sampson. Mustafa is almost unrecognizable with that beard.
Source: Courtesy / Prime Video
We’ve had a lot of watching Hodge in this role, and even joked with him back in July about the way fans have been salivating over the promotional images.
“I saw some reactions here and there and I said ‘OK I see I see what the journey we about to go on,’ it means a brother got to stay at the gym, but I will happily accept the acknowledgement,” Hodge told BOSSIP. “Just look here ladies, my eyes are up here! I’m a person with feelings, that’s it! But it’s hilarious, the audience they be saying some stuff, they funny they got to realize my Mama right here, my Mama be reading this stuff. Calm down, there’s a line and sometimes y’all just be like leapfrogging over it. I appreciate the support.”
Source: Courtesy / Prime Video
Hodge also opened up about how showrunner Ben Watkins worked to create a version of the Alex Cross story that brought audiences closer to his cultural experience as a Black man.
“I tell you, about as far as the very strategic and specific pointed narrative when it comes to addressing his Black world right?” Hodge agreed. “Our showrunner and show creator Ben Watkins has said that he’s never seen a Black Alex Cross. He’s seen a detective or police officer, and what he means by that is, a celebration or execution of seeing the Black world that he actually lives in. What is that truth? As a Black man walking through this world we can’t ignore what he’s going to face because of the fact that he’s Black. It’s not drawing all the attention to that, but obviously as Black people we know, we get attention that we didn’t even ask for. How do you deal with that, you know? And Ben is the first Black creator to put out a Cross project right? So in that we have a wholly nuanced and very new approach to what this character is in his world, which I think is really quite refreshing and it’s going to resonate with the audience. It has resonated with the audience quite well because there’s a relief in being like, ‘Oh we get this, this, and this but we also get the honesty of what this is over here and trust me we go there and it’s awesome.”
Clearly whatever Watkins did has worked wonders because the series has already been renewed for a second season following Prime Video’s inaugural Upfront presentation.
Source: Courtesy / Amazon MGM Studios
Aldis Hodge Says His Black Features Haven’t Always Been Celebrated
Hodge also opened up to BOSSIP about how his strong Black features haven’t always been celebrated the way they are now.
“Strangely enough, when I was younger, because my eyes were so big, and chocolatey as I was, a lot of people didn’t hire me or didn’t want me because I was so dark, or because they say I look funny because my eyes and all that,” Aldis recalled. “And my Mama told me, ‘Don’t you worry baby one of these days people gonna be wanting you for your chocolatey-ness and for your look and all that.’ It’s one of those things where, the world may beat you down for it because they don’t know how to appreciate it, but you have to learn how to use it to your advantage. You have to make what they would say is a disadvantage your superpower so they can never refute it never again. You don’t get me without my skill set and that comes with the package So what you gonna do? I ain’t giving you no options, it is what it is.”
We’re ecstatic to see him being celebrated now and we can’t wait to watch Alex Cross giving criminals hell come November.
Source: Courtesy / Prime Video
Watkins serves as showrunner and executive producer via his Blue Monday Productions banner. Sam Ernst, Jim Dunn, and Craig Siebels also executive produce, with James Patterson, Bill Robinson, and Patrick Santa executive producing for James Patterson Entertainment. David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Bill Bost are executive producing for Skydance Television.
On November 14, all eight episodes will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.