Idris Elba Takes Over for Morgan Freeman in CROSS

Idris Elba has signed on to star in Cross, the latest installment based on James Patterson’s series of novels centered around the adventures of forensic psychologist Dr. Alex Cross.  The character was previously played on screen by Morgan Freeman in 1997′s Kiss the Girls and 2001′s Along Came A Spider.  According to Deadline, David Twohy (The Chronicles of Riddick) will direct — he is currently doing a rewrite on Kerry Williamson’s script.

Elba will next be seen on the big screen in the heist film Takers starting August 27th; on the small screen, Elba stars as the titular character at the center UK-based Luther, and lend his services to the cancer comedy The Big C in a multi-episode arc.  Hit the jump for a synopsis of Cross.

Here’s the official description:

Alex Cross was a rising star in the Washington, DC, Police Department when an unknown shooter gunned down his wife, Maria, in front of him. The killer was never found, and the case turned cold, filed among the unsolved drive-bys in D.C.’s rough neighborhoods.

Years later, still haunted by his wife’s death, Cross is making a bold move in his life. Now a free agent from the police and the FBI, he’s set up practice as a psychologist once again. His life with Nana Mama, Damon, Jannie, and little Alex is finally getting in order. He even has a chance at a new love.

Then Cross’s former partner, John Sampson, calls in a favor. He is tracking a serial rapist in Georgetown, one whose brutal modus operandi recalls a case Sampson and Cross worked together years earlier. When the case reveals a connection to Maria’s death, Cross latches on for the most urgent and terrifying ride of his life. [Amazon]

Per Wikipedia, here are the titles of all seventeen (and counting) novels in the Cross series

Along Came a Spider (1993)
Kiss the Girls (1995)
Jack & Jill (1996)
Cat and Mouse (1997)
Pop Goes the Weasel (1999)
Roses are Red (2000)
Violets Are Blue (2001)
Four Blind Mice (2002)
The Big Bad Wolf (2003)
London Bridges (2004)
Mary, Mary (2005)
Cross (2006)
Double Cross (2007)
Cross Country (2008)
Alex Cross’s Trial (2009)
I, Alex Cross (2009)
Cross Fire (2010)

What happened in 2006 to make all subsequent titles include the word “Cross,” often in the form of pun?