It's prequel time at Prime Video: the streamer has released the trailer for Cross, a series prequel to the movies that previously starred Morgan Freeman and Tyler Perry, and a new teaser for Elle, the prequel series to Legally Blonde.
Cross is based on the many Alex Cross detective novels by James Patterson, and Amazon is clearly confident that it has a hit on its hand: the show isn't even streaming yet and it's been greenlit for a second season. And Elle has Reese Witherspoon as executive producer, telling the story of Elle Woods' origins as a 1990s high schooler.
According to Prime Video, “Elle follows Elle Woods in high school as we learn about the life experiences that shaped her into the iconic young woman we came to know and love in the first Legally Blonde film.” And Witherspoon for one is excited. "Fans will get to know how Elle Woods navigated her world as a teenager with her distinct personality and ingenuity, in ways that only our beloved Elle could do," she says. "What could be better than that?"
Could Cross be your next favorite detective show?
If you're not familiar with Alex Cross – and the books' sales figures suggest that many of you will be – he's a detective and forensic psychologist who's really good at getting under the skin of criminals and their victims, metaphorically speaking. He was played by Morgan Freeman in a pair of movies from the '90s – as a grizzled, older version of the character – and then by Tyler Perry in a 2012 movie.
The trailer suggests we're going to see a younger version of Cross trying to unravel the psyches of some pretty creepy criminals, and in Aldis Hodge it looks like the studio has found the perfect actor to play the titular detective. Although it appears that the season will include multiple criminal cases, it looks like there will also be a single, central case whose arc will run through the entire first season.
Cross will be streaming later this year, and Amazon has announced that the second season will introduce new cast members including Wes Chatham from The Expanse, Matthew Lillard from Five Nights at Freddy's and Jeanine Mason from Grey's Anatomy. As yet there's no streaming date for the second season. Or the first. As for Elle, Prime Video just says that's "coming soon" – we'll see if it can nail the delicate comedy balance it'll need to rank among the best Prime Video shows.
