FIRST LOOK AT “POWER BOOK III: RAISING KANAN” EPISODE 4

Starz released new images of “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” episode 4 earlier today. The show airs August 8th on Starz. The “Don’t Sleep” episode was written by Santa Sierra and directed by Hernán Otaño.

Set in South Jamaica, Queens, in 1991, “Raising Kanan” is a prequel to the original Power franchise. It is a sprawling family drama that revolves around the coming of age of Kanan Stark; Ghost and Tommy’s mentor, partner and adversary, who ultimately dies in a hail of gunfire in the eighth episode of Power’s penultimate season. When we catch up with Kanan here, though, he is the fifteen-year-old only child of Raquel “Raq” Thomas, a cocaine distributor with an emerging network of dealers across the city. Much like the original Power, Raising Kanan explores themes of identity, violence, and legacy, but it is also a deep dive into the very pathology of family; the unique, complicated and fraught dynamic between parent and child, mother and father, brother and sister. In an increasingly fractious world, family often feels like the only refuge from all the divisiveness and discord and yet, at the same time, we often discover that it is those closest to us who betray us and our values most. The first season of Raising Kanan is an exploration of these betrayals, the secrets and lies that accompany them and the ways in which they fester, metastasize and ultimately erupt.

Cast includes Tony© Award Winner Patina Miller (“Madam Secretary;” The Hunger Games Franchise) as Raquel Thomas, Kanan’s queen pin mother, MeKai Curtis plays the titular character of Kanan Stark, the cast also includes Omar Epps (“House,” Love and Basketball) as Detective Malcolm Howard, London Brown (“Ballers”) as Marvin Thomas, Malcolm Mays (“Them,” “Snowfall”) as Louis “Lou-Lou” Thomas, Tony© and Grammy© Award Nominee Hailey Kilgore as Jukebox, star of the Oscar© winning short Two Distant Strangers, Joey Bada$$ as Unique, Toby Sandeman (“The Royals”) as Symphony Bosket, Shanley Caswell (The Conjuring) as Detective Shannon Burke, Lovie Simone (The Craft: Legacy) as Davina Harrison and Quincy Brown (Dope) as Crown Camacho.

Sascha Penn serves as creator and showrunner and is executive producing alongside Courtney A. Kemp and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. The “Power” Universe series are executive produced by “Power” creator and showrunner Courtney A. Kemp through her production company End of Episode and through her overall deal with Lionsgate Television, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson through G-Unit Film and Television, and Mark Canton through Atmosphere Entertainment MM. End of Episode’s Chris Selak and Danielle De Jesus, Shana Stein and Bart Wenrich continue executive producing.