Power spin-offs halt production due to COVID-19

Production has halted on both Power spinoffs amid concerns over COVID-19. It’s the right move and gives us more time to talk about what we expect to see.

The novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic led New York City mayor Bill de Blasio to close schools, restaurants, and bars. Ahead of that, Starz announced that it was halting production of Power Book II: Ghost and Power Book III: Raising Kanan.

Per a report from Deadline, the halt in production will last at least a week. The move was made for the right reasons: to protect the crew and to flatten the curve.

Fans have been waiting for Book II to pick up Tariq (Michael Rainey, Jr.) and Tasha’s (Naturi Naughton) story after Power’s sixth and final season ended with “Exactly as We Planned.”

We finally found out that it was Tariq who shot Ghost (Omari Hardwick). After being called a half a chicken head earlier in the episode, Tasha sloppily tried to save her son by framing her new boy toy for the murder.

She ended up in jail charged with Ghost’s murder, instead. Mary J. Blige and Cliff “Method Man” Smith are the big new names joining Rainey, Jr., Naughton, Shane Johnson as Cooper Saxe, and Gianna Paolo as Brayden. You can watch a trailer for Power Book II: Ghost here.

Power Book III: Raising Kanan is a prequel that focuses on how Kanan Stark (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson) came to be the force of nature we knew in Power. Young Kanan will be played by Mekai Curtis (Overnights). Omar Epps (Shooter) is also a part of a cast that added Hailey Kilgore (Amazing Stories) to play the role of Young Jukebox.

Fans of Power will remember the adult version of Jukebox played by Anika Noni-Rose. She was one of Kanan’s most trusted known associates. She preferred commuting in an NYPD uniform. And, she seemed really intent on killing Tariq. According to a report by Deadline, young Jukebox is quick-witted, fierce, and already the main confidant of Kanan’s.

I think the addition of Young Jukebox helps bring the first two Power spin-offs into focus. Yes. Jukebox was one of the most interesting characters we saw on Power. Her hatred and drive were so set, and so hard, I can’t wait to see where they were formed. But, Jukebox was involved almost exclusively in Kanan’s revenge plot against Ghost that would have seen Tariq dead.

It’s clear that Power is pivoting towards the story of Tariq, even in shows that predate his birth. How will Tariq redeem himself to the fans for killing Ghost? What made Jukebox take such a dislike to Tariq? Is it something that she saw in his character, or was she just down with Kanan’s plot? The Power universe is expanding in new ways, but we definitely know which character it revolves around.

It’s too early to say how much these production halts will delay the premieres of the Power spin-offs. But, safety is first and COVID-19 is for real. We may not be able to see Tariq’s story continue as soon as we want, but we can still speculate on what will happen. This is why comment sections were created!

For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website or the website for your state’s Department of Health.

Which of the Power spin-offs are you most excited to see? Let’s discuss in the comments!