Patterson believes what makes “Alex Cross” work so well as a movie was everyone went into it with a real hunger to do it. He took off a lot of weight because he wanted to have a certain look, and he was the madman. Once he got the part, he really pushed it. JP: I think Matthew wanted to show everyone that he had this tremendous range which he does, and he wanted to be a bad guy. In talking about Matthew Fox who plays Michael “Picasso” Sullivan, Patterson described him as terrific and that his performance is one of the best and most original things about the movie. It was very very emotional stuff and I think that’s unusual in a movie like this. JP: Film crews can sort of not really be into the movie they’re working on that much, but there were times where they were watching the monitor and they were crying. Returning to the movie, Patterson said one of the things which makes “Alex Cross” especially good is it has moments that are “really emotional,” and you don’t always have those moments in a film like this. So, I just wanted to go against the stereotypes, and I think that has worked and that’s what I’m happy about. He’s taking care of his kids, he’s cool with their grandmother, he’s well educated and a graduate of John Hopkins University, etc. Here’s a guy who’s taking care of his family, and this movie gets more into family than the first two did. I wanted to create a hero who really was a hero an African American guy who is bright and anti all the stereotypes. JP: I felt for a long time that the way movies were portraying African Americans was kind of stupid. His experiences in this town enforced his reaction to the way blacks were treated in the media. When asked how he created Alex Cross, Patterson said he grew up in a town which eventually became known as “the murder capital of New York State,” and it was half black and half white. He had a lot of input as he owns 40% of the movie, but he was also able to step back and stay out of the way which he said is “the most useful thing that you can do sometimes.” The script did change a lot from what he originally wrote, and Patterson said he was perfectly alright with that. Patterson was actually involved in the production of “Alex Cross” and even wrote the first draft of the screenplay. Like everyone else, he thinks Freeman is a wonderful actor but remarked how he is now 77 years old, and having him play a detective at that age was not going to work this time as Cross is around the age of 40 in the books. I’m not going to be the director.” And I think that’s what he did, and he took off some weight and bulked up as well.Īs for Freeman, Patterson said the actor was never contacted about this movie. And I’m going to give myself over to Rob. When I went to Atlanta to meet with him, he said to me “James, I wouldn’t do this if I wasn’t sure that I could pull it off. I think he’s going to blow people’s minds with this. The character in the books is bigger, he’s physical and he’s bright and I think Tyler did a great job. JP: Morgan is Morgan, but Tyler is much closer to the character in the books. There was also the talk of Tyler Perry taking over the role of Alex Cross from Morgan Freeman who portrayed the character in both “Kiss the Girls” and “Along Came a Spider.” Many were baffled as to why Perry was cast, and they were also intrigued as to what Patterson thought about him in the role instead of Freeman. I think Rob did a terrific job especially given the budget ($24 million) which was not enormous and about a quarter of what he’s used to. They were helpful and supportive in every aspect. Summit Entertainment (which is distributing it) has been fabulous to work with and they didn’t get in the way. James Patterson: I think it turned out great. The writer was recently at a press junket for “Alex Cross” at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, and he shared his thoughts on the new movie and the character he created. But now director Rob Cohen, who directed “The Fast and The Furious,” has brought the heroic detective and psychologist back in a reboot which is simply entitled “ Alex Cross.” No one appears to be happier about Cross’ return to the world of film than the man who created him, James Patterson. It has been over ten years since the last Alex Cross movie, “Along Came a Spider,” made it to the big screen. WRITER’S NOTE: This article is in regards to a press day which took place in 2012.
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