Idris Elba will become the second screen actor to take on James Patterson’s Dr. Alex Cross, reports Deadline.
Based on the twelfth James Patterson novel to feature the character, Cross will see Elba taking on the role originated by Morgan Freeman in the previous Patterson adaptions, Along Came a Spider and Kiss the Girls (sequentially, the first two Alex Cross novels).
In the novel version, Cross has left the FBI and now works for a private practice, consulting to stop a serial killer called The Butcher who may be connected the murder of Cross’ wife.
Elba is probably best known for his role as Stringer Bell on HBO’s The Wire and is featured as a recurring guest star on “The Office.” He has appeared in several feature films, including American Gangster and The Losers and can also be see on the big screen in next week’s Takers. Next summer, Elba will appear as Heimdall in the Marvel comic book adaptation, Thor.
Cross is set to be directed by David Twohy with a script by Kerry Williamson. Though production is said to begin next spring, no studio is currently listed. Though Paramount is cited as a distinct possibility, the film is not mentioned on this morning’s alleged leak of planned studio productions.
