Cast and Creators of Raising Kanan Preview the Latest Starz Phenomenon

Did you ever wonder how Kana Stark became THEE Kanan Stark?

Love him or hate him, Kanan Stark IS Power. He’s as important to the overall narrative of the series as Ghost or Tommy or Angela because without him, their story never even takes place.

Hot off the success of Power Book II: Ghost, the next installment in the Power Universe, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, comes at you fast, with a killer story and a riveting cast.

We got the chance to talk with series stars Mekai Curtis, Patina Miller, Omar Epps, Hailey Gilmore, Malcolm Mays, and London Brown, along with showrunner and creator Sascha Penn and Power creator Courtney A. Kemp about bringing Kanan’s story to life.

We all know how Kanan’s story ended, but discovering where it all started is what Raising Kanan is all about.

The adult Kanan was a smart, vindictive, and cruel man who could not be trusted. But how did he become that way?

Lead Mekai Curtis takes on the role made famous by 50 Cent, and he brings freshness to the character while still keeping some of the same traits of the character from the original series.

We got a chance to talk to him about how he approached playing such an iconic character and what he hopes to show the audience about who Kanan was.

Patina Miller and Omar Epps joined us to give some into their original characters and their connection to Kanan.

While Miller plays the formidable Raq Thomas and Kanan’s mother, Epps is a detective with a wide net in the neighborhood.

Both Miller and Epps touched upon their love and respect for the Power universe and how excited they are to join the Power family.

While we met Jukebox during the original series, Marvin and Lou-Lou are two new characters on the scene.

When we got a few minutes to catch up with Hailey Gilmore, we asked her if she studied Anika Noni Rose’s performance in preparation for her turn has Jukebox.

While Malcolm Mays and London Brown spoke about their characters and their connection to the family business.

Showrunner Sascha Penn opened up about the challenges of making a prequel and bringing it to an audience that already thinks they know all there is to know about Kanan.

He also spoke about the theme of family within both the original series and Raising Kanan at large, as well as the powerful backdrop of 1990s New York City, which is a vital piece of the Power experience and brings with it a lot of nostalgia.

Power creator Courtney A. Kemp created one of the biggest shows on the planet, and the subsequent follow-ups are being devoured by fans all over the world.

We asked her about the spin-offs, what she wants the audience to learn about Kanan, and whether or not the order the spin-offs were released was planned.

We also wondered if she was ever surprised by just how popular the Power universe has truly become.

Power Book III: Raising Kanan was already renewed for Season 2 and premieres on Starz on July 18th. We’ll be covering the series all season long, so come back here for all your Raising Kanan news!

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Whitney Evans is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.

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