Mekai Curtis, left, and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson attended the New York premiere of Starz’s highly anticipated prequel Power Book 3: Raising Kanan.
The new iteration of Power follows young Kanan Stark (Mekai Curtis) as he dodges bullets and keeps his enemies close. Kanan was originally played by 50 Cent.
Power Book 3: Raising Kanan also stars Omar Epps, Joey Bada$$, and Patina Miller.
Mekai is pictured right with 50 Cent, center, and actor Michael Rainey Jr., left.
TheGrio spoke exclusively with the cast to discuss some of the challenges of creating the prequel.
“The pressure was having the continuity and the essence more so of the characters than the actual franchise itself,” stated Mekai, who believes the hardest part was making sure he lived up to the high standards set by 50 Cent.
Actor Omar Epps, who plays shady detective Howard, attended the premiere with his wife Keisha Epps. He said he didn’t have any expectations for the new show.
“I don’t think there are any expectations. It’s just a piece that I think the power in it is, that you know, we know who Kanan was and how he was the monster that he was. And this is kind of an exploration of humanity, to be honest with you. It’s like, how does someone, you know, evolve into being the character that we saw 50 play.”
The original Power aired on the Starz network from June 7, 2014, to February 9, 2020.
