The beloved character was played previously by Morgan Freeman in 1997's Kiss the Girls and 2001's Along Came a Spider, and by Tyler Perry in 2012's Alex Cross.
"I didn't have a mindset of thinking that there were risks involved," Hodge, 38, told UPI at a recent New York Comic Con press conference. "There were just opportunities to reimagine and deliver something that has a very refreshing new take."
The Leverage and Black Adam actor credited Cross show-runner Ben Watkins -- who was sitting beside him -- with creating story lines that bring the character into 2024.
"This man over here brought it into this era," Hodge said. "There are a lot of opportunities to update it in ways that were really quite relevant directly and specifically speaking to what we deal with on a regular basis. So, I just saw plentiful opportunities to create magnificent art, and I feel like we did so."
Hodge said he was excited to show the series to viewers at New York Comic Con ahead of its TV premiere.
"We get to engage people," he said. "We get to see the love. We get to understand how it hits them personally, and it lets us know that we did the job that we were trying to do."
By serving as a producer, Hodge worked closely with Watkins, offering his input on character development and motivations for Cross, who is not just a renowned investigator, but also as a single father of two grieving the recent death of his wife.
"Ben cracked it. We started off this whole journey having a conversation just about where we were as as men and individuals, and, honestly, I'll be real with you, I pulled from a lot of my own personal experiences," Hodge said.
"Brother was going through something," he added. "I have lived a full life and I was able to understand and navigate what Cross was going through, where he was going because of the things I have personally been through."
One of the people Cross leans on throughout this difficult time is his best friend and partner, Detective John Sampson (Isaiah Mustafa).
"You've got your ace who's telling you: 'Man, you need help. I'm here to help, just accept.' I love that we get to explore that," Hodge said. "To me, that's one of the most beautiful relationships that we get to exhibit because that's real. We hold each other down off camera. So, the fact that we bring that on-screen is amazing."
Watkins said he wanted Cross to be a principled man whose struggles are relatable to viewers.
"My biggest fear would be that you come and you really enjoy the mysteries, but you don't really invest in the people that this show's about," he added.
Watkins also acknowledged he has a habit of weaving personal details actors share with him into the show's stories and dialogue.
"I'll find something out, and then the next thing you know, that's what's going on. So, be careful what you say," he laughed.
Each season will be based on an original story, as opposed to a book, and will feature new secondary characters, including villains.
"We felt like that would give us a chance to stay more timely," Watkins said.
New Amsterdam and The Blacklist alum Ryan Eggold plays Ed Ramsey, a D.C. billionaire and the antithesis of what Cross stands for.
"When we meet my character, he is very much behind the scenes, sort of the DC elite and the opposite of what we've been talking about," Eggold said, describing his character as "very ambitious and greedy for power."
The show explores how someone gets to a morally dark place, whether as a killer or just a person willing to do anything it takes to get what he or she wants.
"It's a complete absence of love and it highlights everything that this show is about, which is being a good father a good detective," Eggold said. "Creating a flawed human being as a hero -- that kind of complexity -- is present throughout the show and these guys' performances and this writing, I think, is what people are going to love."
Co-starring Alona Tal and Johnny Ray Gill, the series has been renewed for Season 2.