A New ‘Alex Cross’ Adaptation Is on the Way With Amazon’s ‘Cross’ Series

Prime Video has dropped the first official teaser for Cross, the latest adaptation of James Patterson’s best-selling Alex Cross series.

There certainly is quite a bit of source material to draw from, as the Alex Cross series contains a whopping 29 books. The series follows the adventures of the eponymous protagonist, Alex Cross, a brilliant detective who tries to balance his work for the Metropolitan Police Department and his personal life as a widower with two children. Since the series started in 1993, it has received three film adaptations, including the Morgan Freeman-led Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider. In 2012, Lionsgate tried to reboot the series with Alex Cross, which saw Tyler Perry take over the titular role. However, the movie was a major flop, resulting in the cancellation of a planned sequel.

Now, for the first time in over a decade, Cross is returning to the screen. This time, he’s making his small screen debut in Amazon’s Cross.

Aldis Hodge shines in first Cross teaser

On May 14, Amazon dropped the first official trailer for Cross, giving viewers their first look at Aldis Hodge as the iconic detective.

The brief clip teases the thrilling and suspenseful tone of the series as it speeds through car chases, explosions, and crime scenes. What it captures best is the intimidating nature of Cross as he confidently requests to be called “Detective Alex Cross” and conducts a chilling interrogation in which he’s quite certain he’s already living “rent-free” in the criminal’s head. However, there are also hints of the softer side of Cross, who is an exemplary father in the books, as we get a brief glimpse of his family life.

Amazon has not yet set an official release date for Cross, but the teaser promises it’s “coming soon.” It is likely to premiere sometime later this year. Meanwhile, even before setting a release date for season 1, Amazon quickly renewed the series for a second season. Streamers and networks tend to only order early renewals when they’re fairly certain a show will succeed, raising further interest in Cross.

As mentioned above, Hodge, who is best known for playing Hawkman in Black Adam, will portray the lead role of Cross. Starring alongside Hodge is Shadowhunter star Isaiah Mustafa as John Sampson, Cross’s best friend and partner. Child star Melody Hurd will appear as Cross’s daughter, Janelle, while Juanita Jennings has signed on to portray Cross’ grandmother, Regina “Nana Mama” Cross. Starring as Cross’ co-workers are Jennifer Wigmore as Chief Anderson, Mercedes de la Zerda as Det. Amielynn Vega, Sharon Taylor as Lt. Oracene Massey, and Stacie Greenwell as Det. Shawana De Lackner. Rounding out the cast are Siobhan Murphy as Tania Hightower, Ashley Rios as Malika Godspeed, Darnell Bartholomew as Phineas Carter, and Briana Starks as Melanie Norris.

So far, Amazon has been keeping the Cross plot under wraps and has not revealed which novel the series will adapt. It is possible the series might start with the first book, Along Came a Spider, which sees Cross investigating a kidnapping case. Another likely place to start would be with Cross (2006), which delves deeper into the murder of Cross’ wife, an event that hangs over much of the series. However, since both Cross and Along Came a Spider have already been adapted into movies, the series might start somewhere new or pull elements from multiple books.

Regardless of the story, viewers can anticipate seeing Cross in action as he investigates both crime scenes and the psychology of criminals while navigating fatherhood and dealing with the haunting memory of his wife’s murder.