Even as the show looks to be taking its own approach to adapting its source material, Alona Tal is careful to share whether herCrosscharacter is connected to the books' major villain. The Prime Video show serves as the fourth major adaptation of James Patterson’s thriller novel franchise centering on the titular Washington D.C. detective amid his various investigations. Aldis Hodge is leading theensembleCrosscastin the eponymous role alongside a few iconic book characters, including Isaiah Mustafa’s Detective John Sampson.
In honor of the show’sNew York Comic Conpanel,Screen Rantinterviewed Alona Tal to discussCross. When asked about her character’s potential connection to the books' big villain, Kyle Craig,the star was very careful in her response, instead sharing how she would be a close ally to the titular protagonist in the opening season, while also teasing that future seasons may hold answers to this question. See what Tal shared below:
Well, in this season, she’s one of the inner sanctum of people that he can rely on and go to when he needs a little bit of assistance here and there with the case, specifically, that we’re dealing with in this season. She’s a trustworthy person to him in this season, she’s a person that will also try to be truthful, but she’s one of the people that helps them through and through, and you will see it develop in the future seasons. I can’t give you [more], I can’t say it.
What This Means For Kyle Craig’s Cross Future
There May Be Teases For Him In Season 1
In the novels, Kyle Craig is one of the more unique villains Alex Cross faces in that, for the first five installments,he is actually a close friend and ally to the detective, working in the FBI and assisting him on many cases. Though readers would learn he is actually the serial killer known as the Mastermind in the sixth book,Roses Are Red, it wouldn’t be until its follow-up novel,Violets Are Blue, in which Patterson’s protagonist would finally learn this truth. This would, in turn, create aHannibal Lecter and Will Graham-like relationshipof playing cat-and-mouse for seven further books.
Kyle Craig’s final appearance in the books came in 2010’sCross Fire, in which he killed himself by blowing up the ambulance he was being taken away in after being defeated by Alex.
With creator Ben Watkins seemingly taking a more original approach to adapting Patterson’s novels,Crosscould very well introduce the Craig character in a way longtime fans won’t see coming. The trailer for the show did confirm that the titular character is grappling with the murder of his wife, an important plot point from the books that also ties to Sampson’s own arc as an ally to Alex, while only giving a brief glimpse of Tal’s character as part of Cross' “inner sanctum” as she describes above.
If Tal’s tease that future seasons could build toward the introduction of Kyle Craig inCross,the show may even establish the iconic book villain as having already been captured. This could give one of two reasons why Tal’s Kayla would want to work closely with Alex, the first of which being to act as an inside informant for her brother in some kind of revenge plot, the other being her desire to prove she is not her brother and make a good name for her family.
Our Take On Kayla & Kyle Craig’s Potential Connections
A Gender-Swapped Villain Is Also A Possibility
Between James Patterson’s frequent praise of the show’s creative team, and its early season 2 renewal opening up aReacher-like future, I’m certainly thrilled by howCrossis building out the world of its source material, and the potential to not rush into Kyle Craig’s introduction is the right call. That being said, considering the parallels Tal’s Kayla has with Kyle from the books, in regard to her close bond with Alex, I think a gender-flipped version of the iconic villain is not only possible, but also something I think I would be more open to seeing than a familial connection.
Cross
Cast
Cross follows the life of Alex Cross, a skilled yet troubled homicide detective balancing his role as a devoted father and relentless crime investigator. Haunted by his wife’s murder, he navigates personal turmoil while persistently pursuing justice in the face of dangerous adversaries.
