While a few years back Paramount tried to turn James Patterson’s best-selling mystery series about Detective Alex Cross into a franchise starring Morgan Freeman, neither Kiss The Girls nor Along Came a Spider did great business, and so despite huge sales of the books, on-screen Alex Cross disappeared.
However, not everyone has given up, and so now a new independently funded Alex Cross picture is in the works, based on Patterson’s book, Cross, with David Twohy (Pitch Black) directing. Deadline reports they’ve found someone for the lead role, and they’re going less famous but younger than Morgan Freeman, by casting British actor Idris Elba. Although he’s a familiar face in Blightly from the likes of The Office and Luther, he’s less well known elsewhere, despite parts in The Reaping, American Gangster, Prom night, RocknRolla, 28 Weeks Later and, of course, The Wire, the TV series renowned for being adored, but only by the few who’ve actually seen it.
However the producers of Cross are hoping he’s building up a head of steam with his recent role in the Losers, as well as the upcoming Takers and Thor, so by the time their film comes out, everyone will know who he is. Production is likely to begin nest spring, with Cross attempting to leave the FBI, but being drawn into the case of a serial rapist who may have murdered his pregnant wife years before.