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LOS ANGELES (AP) – Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson believed in "Power" with so much bravery that he predicted that the series would become a huge hit for cast actors even before the first episode aired there five years.
Since then, Jackson has been happy to see his words come true. The original series has become a juggernaut and the Starz network says it is the most watched show in the history of the cable network.
"Power" begins its sixth and final season Sunday night, but the series is not going anywhere. Starz has at least two spinoffs in the works.
"I like to anticipate success," said Jackson, executive producer of the series, who also played the role of Kanan. "I do not work on projects that suggest there is a risk of failure, because I do not think you can work hard for a project, but you can believe it."
"Power" interprets the role of James "Ghost" St. Patrick in the role of James "Ghost", who tries to escape his life of drug dealer and becomes legitimate with a legal business, but his wife and his best friend, gangster spirit, still want him to direct his drug operation. . He struggles with the double life he created by attending a federal prosecutor.
Jackson was already a rap star who then tried to make his success a career in film and television. At first, he was not taken seriously. He stumbled on other projects, but he remained so confident in "Power" that he touched all the others, and ultimately millions of viewers.
"When people say to themselves," Are you shocked by the popularity of this show? "I was less shocked because he had told us it would be that," said Joseph Sikora, of the series' vision for Jackson. Sikora plays Tommy Egan, Ghost's business partner and best friend forever, who disagree after Tommy killed Ghost's girlfriend the previous season.
"Omari and I met him at the same time, he gave us a big hug and broke everything down," Sikora said. "He did not say," I think that will happen. He added, "It will happen, and it will happen too. "Then everything happened … He talked about it."
"Power" has created a cult following for its glamorous and gung-ho gangster lifestyle, its twisted love triangles and its violent drug deals.
Hardwick said the "Power" storyline has garnered interest from viewers in the same way as HBO's "Game of Thrones."
"But they have books," he said. "I am proud to have been able to create the book. There was no book. We created it with the help of incredible writings and colleagues from the cast. "
Hardwick said fans of the characters in the series had a relationship of love and hate with them. He admitted that his character had received mixed acclaim, but his other cast members, including Lela Loren – who plays his girlfriend Angela Valdes – faced blatant threats in the years that sent her. in therapy.
"How many times have Tommy and Ghost been mentioned in a song?" He asked. "It was changing culture. But there is another side. For people to follow Lela in the bathroom, it was sometimes negative. We have an 18 year old retailer who started at age 12 and receives hate mail at this level. … But that's how much people are invested in this show. "
Starz relies on viewers to invest even more.
"Power" has been an absolute monster. For now, nothing is more important on television, "said Jeffrey Hirsch, Director of Operations for Starz, who said the series had helped build the network as a destination to watch original content. He paid tribute to Jackson and the creator of the series Courtney Kemp, who, he says, helped lead a team to keep "the audience in every episode with cliffhangers".
"Power" will broadcast its last season in two parts. The first installment of 10 episodes begins Sunday and the last five episodes will air in January.
The series will complete, but several spinoffs are planned to be part of a collection of new shows inspired by the world of "Power." The first one is entitled 'Power Book II: Ghost', which will feature an award-winning Grammy singer and actress Mary J. Blige.
Jackson said that "Power Book II" will resume soon after the end of "Power". He said in the new version "we will see the consequences of what will happen in the final of season six".
Jackson also plans other "Power" films, including "Raising Kanan", inspired by his popular Kanan character, killed in the fifth season.
"It will show the influences of the 90s, where Kanan grew up and how activities in the neighborhood allowed him to become who he was in" Power ", he said.
Alongside the fallout from "Power," Jackson wants to develop a Starz project focused on the Black Mafia family. The story would plunge into the story of Demetrius 'Big Meech' Flenory, who created the drug trafficking and money laundering organization in Detroit before integrating it into the hip-hop music scene.
The plethora of shows is part of Jackson's plan to take over Starz.
"As (Starz) becomes a family necessity like HBO, you will see faces that look like ours," he said. "It will be more of a diverse cast than what you will find on HBO. They want to host this content here. It's the perfect place for people who like "Power" and enjoy Starz programming. "
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Gary Gerard Hamilton, associate editor at Associated Press, wrote this report from New York.
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Follow Jonathan Landrum Jr., AP Entertainment writer on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MrLandrum31
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