The wait is almost over! Premiering this Sunday, Sikora reprises his role as Tommy Egan in Power Book IV: Force, the highly-anticipated Power spin-off.
Fans of Chicago local, Joseph Sikora were absolutely thrilled to catch glimpses of him as Starz’s newest series Power Book IV: Force was filming throughout the Chicago area beginning last March and Sikora was just as thrilled to be there, sharing pics on his instagram:
In this season of Power Book IV: Force, Tommy cuts all ties and puts New York in his rearview mirror for good when he arrives in Chicago and sets his sights on becoming the biggest drug dealer the Second City has ever seen. As Tommy leaves New York after losing Ghost, LaKeisha, and the only city he’s ever known, he makes a quick detour to close an old wound that’s been haunting him for decades. What was supposed to be a quick stop turns into a labyrinth of family secrets and lies Tommy thought were long buried. One step leads to another and Tommy quickly finds himself in Chicago’s drug game, inserting himself between the city’s two biggest crews.
In a city divided by race, Tommy straddles the line, ultimately becoming the lynchpin that not only unites them — but holds the power to watch them crumble. As the first season unfolds at breakneck speed, Tommy uses his outsider status to his advantage, breaking all the local rules and rewriting them on his quest to become the biggest drug dealer in Chicago.
Sikora, a Northwest Side native told The Chicago Sun Times, “I haven’t lived in Chicago permanently for half of the year — a six-month stretch — since I was 21 years old so it was really interesting being back,” said Sikora during a day of shooting at the Tao Chicago nightclub last June. “We were shutting locations down for this show that I have the luxury and blessing to be the lead of.”
Sikora, who grew up in the Norwood and Jefferson Park neighborhoods, has played many characters on stage, most recently Frank Cosgrove Jr. on Ozark, as well as an episode of Chicago P.D. where he played Kevin Bingham. This is the third time he’s playing the role of Tommy Egan in the Power Universe.
Force was filmed in Chicago throughout the summer in 2021 and features many actors recognizable to any film and television viewer as well as some welcome local faces, prominently that of Guy Van Swearingen, a longtime veteran of many stage roles, founding artistic director of A Red Orchid (and currently in its production of The Moors) and for many years a lieutenant for the Chicago Fire Department.
The initial showrunner on Force, Northwest Side native Robert Munic, told The Chicago Sun Times in June that while filming in Chicago wasn’t originally planned for the series, it made sense after a brainstorming session with Power creator Courtney Kemp.
“I started talking about: ‘What if [Egan] stopped midway [across the country]? What if there was this whole life in between New York and L.A., which is Chicago? And he had all these unanswered questions and all these mysteries in the city,’ ” said Munic, who left the series later in the summer.
Actor Shane Harper who plays Vic Flynn in Force also shared his affinity for Chicago to the Sun Times and said, “It’s been wonderful, I love Chicago. I hadn’t ever had a chance to spend a bunch of time here, but I’ve been a few different times and I’ve always loved it.“ When they told me that this show was filming here, I was really excited.”
Another Chicago native, actor Barton Fitzpatrick plays Blaxton, a lieutenant in a rival Chicago gang. Barton considers this a special project as his real life best friend Kris D. Lofton plays Jenard, who is also his best friend on screen.
When Power ended after six seasons in 2020, Starz added more shows to the Power Universe including Power Book II: Ghost and Power Book III: Raising Kanan. Power Book V: Influence, starring West Side native Larenz Tate, also is planned.
The new Power Book IV, the third spin-off from executive producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson‘s Power Universe, premieres February 6 exclusively on Starz.
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