Tyler Perry Cast as Alex Cross
Tyler Perry is leaving Madea far behind for his next role. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Perry has signed on to play Detective Alex Cross in the upcoming film I, ALEX CROSS.
A popular character created by James Patterson, Cross has been twice portrayed on screen by Morgan Freeman, in 1997’s Kiss the Girls and 2001’s Along came a Spider. He has also been the focus of seventeen of Patterson’s novels, with an eighteenth set to be released this year.
Rob Cohen will be directing I, Alex Cross and Marc Moss is tweaking a draft script from Patterson and Kerry Williamson. QED International plans to sell the worldwide rights to the film at the European Film Market in Berlin later this month. Filming is expected to begin in June and there are hopes this will be the beginning of a series of films featuring Cross.
Idris Elba had been attached to play Cross in an independent film from director David Twohy, but that project seems to be shelved.
Perry is best known for his prolific work as a producer, screenwriter, and director of urban drama and for playing the strong female character Madea in several films while Cohen most recently directed The Mummy: The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.
Do you think Tyler Perry will make a good Alex Cross?