Tyler Perry to Play Alex Cross
Tyler Perry
Get ready for Tyler Perry's Alex Cross.
The multi-hyphenate will star as the detective-psychologist in I, Alex Cross, a reboot of the film franchise based on the popular James Patterson books, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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Rob Cohen (The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor) will direct the film. Patterson and Kerry Williamson wrote a draft of the script, to be polished by Marc Moss.
Perry replaces Morgan Freeman, who played Cross in 1997's Kiss the Girls and 2001's Along Came a Spider — the name of the first Alex Cross book. Patterson's 18th Alex Cross novel will be released later this year.
Idris Elba (The Wire) was set to play Cross in an independent film to be directed by David Twohy, but that adaptation is shelved for the time being.
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I, Alex Cross will be the first major project for Perry that does not involve his previous work and for which he is not a director, writer or producer. He had a brief role in 2009's Star Trek.
What do you think of the casting? Can he fill Morgan Freeman's shoes? Should Madea make an appearance?