Why ‘Cross’ Is The Best Way Forward For James Patterson’s Favorite Detective

Prime Video’s Cross sees Aldis Hodge step into the role of James Patterson’s iconic detective Alex Cross. It’s not the first – or even second – time that the character has been adapted into live action, and many people wonder if Hodge’s version will meet the same unceremonious fate as his predecessors. However, this Alex Cross has something in his favor that none of the others had before: The right medium.

Morgan Freeman’s Alex Cross was great, but it was always a short-term deal

Morgan Freeman stars as Alex Cross in 1997’s Kiss the Girls and 2001’s Along Came a Spider. Both films amassed respectable hauls at the box office, making over $165 million worldwide, even though critics deemed them stinkers. Well, reviewers be damned because those movies have become must-watch thrillers and possess incredible rewatchability. To this day, it’s impossible to turn off the television when they’re on because they’re that captivating.

A major reason for this is down to Freeman’s portrayal of the famous detective. He captures the human element of Cross that resonates, imbuing him with an empathy and likability that differentiate him from every other stereotypical gumshoe. Coupled with the fact that Freeman is such a beloved and renowned actor, this was a match made in Hollywood heaven.

However, these films were released in a time in which the movie business wasn’t as obsessed with turning everything into a franchise as it is now. If a movie did well, a sequel would materialize organically and so forth. Resultantly, the contracts weren’t as watertight as they are now where actors sign away their lives for decades on end. In terms of Freeman, he’s a megastar and in demand, so it wasn’t a case that he’d be sitting around if and when the studio decided to greenlight another Alex Cross project. Any plans would need to be worked around his busy schedule. 

While there were talks about a third film starring Freeman, they were scrapped in favor of a reboot, featuring Tyler Perry as the eponymous character in 2012’s Alex Cross. History repeated itself as this film received a critical beatdown; however, it did one thing different: It made much less money than its predecessors, topping out at just over $34 million. At this point, Hollywood realized it faced a severe Cross dilemma that plagued other literary heroes. The good news is the solution wasn’t too difficult to figure out.

Books translate better as series than movies

What do Jack Ryan and Jack Reacher have in common? Besides the fact they have had countless books written about them, the pair also featured in films and television series. In both instances, their efforts on the big screen produced mixed results. While the action strikes a chord with a certain demographic, one can’t shake off the feeling that something is missing – and it is.

Ryan and Reacher succeed on the small screen because the format of a series not only allows for better character development, but it also enables the adapted storylines time to breathe and cover more. Let’s say the average novel for either hero is 400 pages in length. For a film, this would need to be cut down into 100 to 120 pages of script. While the movie allows for a lot of the descriptive details to be shown – removing blocks of text – that still requires the filmmakers to condense a story into around a quarter of its original size. Consequently, this means subplots and other elements need to be cut down in order to meet a reasonable runtime that satisfies studios and theaters.

It’s no surprise then that book fans almost always complain how a movie is inferior to the novel because of how much is lost in adaptation – and they aren’t wrong. The same can be said about Alex Cross. Each book features a twisty mystery that teaches the character something valuable about himself that he carries forward in his next adventure. It’s tough for a movie to encapsulate all of that in two hours without feeling like a CliffNotes version of the source material, whereas a series affords several hours for the storyline and characters to develop and to dig deeper into various subplots. It’s a no-brainer which option is better.

‘Cross’ lets a wider world be built

Cross promises to explore the effects of the murder of Alex Cross’ wife and how this changes him as a father, friend, and dedicated professional. He works harder to find out who commits crimes and why they do it, as he develops an obsession to prevent others from experiencing what he has gone through. It’s a baseline DNA that lets the series, as well as the character, grow. Instead of only having two hours to find out who Cross is and let him solve a murder, the audience embarks on a longer journey with the character that shows all facets of his life.

Prime Video appears to be convinced about the potential of Cross, too, handing it a second season renewal before the show even debuted on the streaming service. Considering all the James Patterson novels at hand, there’s the chance to do something big and long lasting with this character. Of course, nothing is ever certain in the world of showbiz and cancellations happen because of outrageous events like tax write-offs, but make no mistake: Alex Cross doesn’t ever need a movie again, because a show like Cross is the only way to truly represent this remarkable detective and his brilliant mind.