Xfiles News

Syfy's 'Alphas' stars police drama veteran Malik Yoba as superhero in 'X-Files ...

Long before he was cast in the network series Syfy "Alphas", Malik Yoba was a kid growing up in the Bronx waiting for his older brother at the end of a stack of comic books, for his turn as a result of Adventures of Luke Cage, Power Man - one of the few superhero a young African-American could idolize.

Fast forward to 2011, and actor of 43 years is to have its own superhero moment. He just shot a scene where his character, FBI agent Bill Harken, which can draw on his adrenal gland for short bursts of extra strength, led his team to escape.

"I must be like a human bowling ball, just hitting people out of the way to get to where we were," says Yoba News, Toronto, where "Alpha" is shot. "And I felt like, you know what ? Let's be a little more sophisticated and elegant. I have a history of doing martial arts, you know. I took some ideas and one of the most fun parts was a flying kick, break through a door.

"I had not had the chance to do this sort of thing before."

Created by "X-Men" writer Zak Penn and Michael Karnow, the show follows a government-funded team of disparate individuals with increased capacity, advised by the psychologist Dr. Lee Rosen (David Strathairn). The team is deployed to track down and stop others like them who are a threat to the public. Broadcast on Monday night at 10, the show feels more "X-Files" as "X-Men", a procedure that focuses on the characters.

Therefore Yoba was at the top of wish list of creators.

"With Harken, we really desperately need someone who you just bought was an FBI agent and a former cop who felt real on the screen," says Penn. "It was for me the real issue - finding an actor who, when he was told a bunch of stuff the FBI or hanging out with a group of FBI agents, you would not say," Gee, after Abercrombie & Fitch photo shoot, he went over to put on his badge. So that's what led us to Malik. "

By Yoba own count, he played 11 different law enforcement officials - starting with a breakthrough turn on "NY Undercover" in the 1990s. At first he was not interested in it.

Chemical news and journal of industrial science

What news?, the market, politics, and the local press

News flash, journalism, infotainment, and the bottom-line business of broadcast news

Deciding what's news, a study of CBS evening news, NBC nightly news, Newsweek, and Time

News culture