Posted in: Preview, Starz, Trailer, TV | Tagged: bleeding cool, cable, Kanan, Mekai Curtis, power, preview, starz, streaming, television, tv

"Power: Book III": STARZ Spinoff Series Casts Mekai Curtis as Young Kanan

Power creator Courtney A. Kemp and executive producer Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson's prequel series Power Book III: Raising Kanan has found its younger verison of Jackson's onscreen character, with Mekai Curtis (Kirby Buckets; Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day) set for the lead role in the STARZ spinoff.

Smart, driven and still naïve, Kanan's world revolves around his mother, Raq (Patina Miller), who raised him by herself. She is his everything. At the same time, he is beginning to get a sense of not only the world around him but his place in said world. Kanan wants to be just like his mother — and that's the problem. He's young and wide-eyed and doesn't know how the hustle works. And even more important, his mother is not nearly as keen as he is for him to follow in her footsteps. Theirs is a complicated relationship that only gets more problematic as time goes on.

● Power Book II: Ghost – sequel focusing on Michael Rainey Jr.'s Tariq, starring Mary J. Blige as successful business woman Monet, Method Man as attorney David MacClean, LaToya Tonodeo as Monet's daughter. Naturi Naughton's Tasha and Shane Johnson's Cooper Saxe will be making the move from the original series.

● Power Book III: Raising Kanan – prequel focusing on the early life of Jackson's Power character Kanan Stark, with Patina Miller (Madam Secretary) as Kanan's mother, Raquel "Raq" Thomas; and Omar Epps in an unknown role though expected to play a "major figure" in the original series' history.

● Power Book IV: Influence – Tate (Larenz Tate) begins his rise in political power.

● Power Book V: Force – while on the west coast, Tommy (Joseph Sikora) tackles the means streets of LA.

"In television history, only a select few shows have inspired four consecutive series extensions, launched into active production and development at the same time. These new and exciting chapters will continue the journey of some of Power's most controversial characters while featuring a growing ensemble of complex, distinct characters along with the high-octane drama that set Power in a class of its own."

– Jeffrey Hirsch

Kemp will be producing the Power spinoffs through her End of Episode banner, alongside Jackson through G-Unit Film and Television and Mark Canton through Atmosphere Entertainment MM. Shana Stein and Bart Wenrich, and Chris Salek and Danielle DeJesus via End of Episode also executive produce. Lionsgate TV serves as the producing studio.

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