“I was receiving $17,000 per episode in the beginning of Power while being the executive producer, actually playing a reoccurring character in Kanan, and being the strongest marketing for the actual show,” Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson reflected at a TCA press conference to promote the third sequel spin-off of Power, premiering February 6th on STARZ. Serving as executive producer on Power Book IV: Force, the multi-hyphenate superstar shared his passion for the series and the comparatively low fee he accepted in order to get it off the ground. “I can just go to a nightclub and wave and get more money than I was paid to be a part of this series in the very beginning. And then it developed and turned into a business that was worthwhile because it was such a success that I was able to do the spinoffs and do everything else that came following the success of the project.”
(STARZ)
Power Book IV: Force follows fan-favorite character Tommy Egan (Joseph Sikora) as he leaves New York City behind and moves to Chicago. “He was number two during the entire Power series… this is the natural spinoff to Power,” 50 Cent shared, adding that the city of Chicago adds its own unique dynamics to the series. “Culturally, things are a little different there. Gang culture, so many different elements out in the street that you can use as different devices at points in the storytelling. It gives you a complete clear slate of things that changes the show ultimately. And it was really important to have the tones of even the theme song match Chicago. This is why we had Chicago natives featured on the song with Lil Durk and Jeremih.”
The move to Chicago doesn’t just serve the character of Tommy, but also the actor who plays him. Joseph Sikora recalled growing up in Chicago, but having been away from his roots since he was 21. “I’ve lived in New York longer than I lived in Chicago, so what I did was is I went to Chicago a month early to do ride-alongs with the police, to meet with friends and acquaintances and associates that did many, many years in prison, who ran gangs and gangsterism, and to figure out, to relearn the city of Chicago, because as I relearned it Tommy is learning it for the first time,” Joseph explained. “I thought it was really important for me to know the inner workings of Chicago so I would understand how Tommy would have to put this process together.”
The premiere of Power Book IV: Force is the culmination of a bold prediction 50 Cent made to Joseph Sikora back in 2014 when the original series was getting off the ground. “He said, ‘Listen, your show's gonna come,’” Joseph shared about a conversation he had with the executive producer. “This is a dream for me because to play a character for eight years, you get into such minutiae of character development that it's a dream for an actor. And also where we find Tommy at the beginning of Power Book IV: Force is at the end of not only the Power show but also Power Book II: Ghost. So we saw Tommy in that environment, too, but now we see him with absolutely nothing. So as an actor, what an incredible opportunity to have this very full fleshed-out character, very complex character now have absolutely nothing. A duffel bag full of money, a couple of guns, a couple of changes of clothes, and then just the shirt on his back and the gumption to survive. And I think that this survival technique speaks to us so intrinsically as human beings that that's the transcendent that we can see and follow with Tommy throughout this show for however many years we go.” On the original Power, 50 Cent predicted to Joseph that it would last 7 years and it did. Joseph put out his own prediction on the longevity of Power Book IV: Force. “Let’s say 5 [years].”
Power Book IV: Force premieres Sunday, February 6th at 12:01 am ET on the STARZ App and broadcast at 9:15 pm ET on STARZ.