EXCLUSIVE: Emmy Award-winning actor Joe Pantoliano (The Sopranos, The Last of Us) will be part of the cast of Starz‘s Power Book III: Raising Kanan for its fifth and final season. Production concluded last year and is expected to air in 2026.
In a major recurring role, Pantoliano will play Pino Bernardi, the head of the Manhattan Mafia. Pino is supremely self-assured and the epitome of the old adage, “speak softly and carry a big stick.” He doesn’t need to tell you he’s a boss, because you know it already—bada bing, bada boom.
Pantoliano joins the previously announced Leslie Grossman, who will play Florence “Flossie” Siegel, Manhattan’s most prolific madam. Flossie Siegel lives a polished, luxurious lifestyle on the surface, but as the daughter of a Jewish mobster, she’s her father through and through: tough, shrewd, and strategic.
Starz’s Power Book III: Raising Kanan explores the early life of everyone’s favorite Power villain Kanan Stark (Mekai Curtis), originally played by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson in the flagship series, and shows his evolution from a näive teenager to a cutthroat villain. Season 4 saw an epic showdown between Kanan and his mother, Raq (Patina Miller), resulting in a couple of surprise deaths and the return of a fan-favorite character.
That character is Branford ‘Breeze’ Frady Breeze (Shameik Moore), the nephew of street legends Snaps (Wendell Pierce) and Pop (Erika Woods). The couple introduces Breeze to Kanan in the Season 4 finale, and it wasn’t the warmest of welcomes; however, the meeting sparks a new partnership opportunity between the two young men, providing a lasting tie between the prequel and the flagship series.
When the show returns later this year, fans will finally learn Raq’s fate. While the screen faded to black in the very last moments of the Season 4 finale, Raq’s only son, Kanan, shot her after becoming convinced she was behind the murders of people whom he treasures most, like his best friend and surrogate brother Famous (Antonio Ortiz) and his girlfriend Krystal (Aliyah Turner).
One thing we know for sure, Kanan will survive the season and move on to the new Power: Origins series, which will welcome young versions of Power‘s Ghost (Spence Moore II) and Tommy (Charlie Mann) as ambitious young entrepreneurs on the rise, determined to make their mark on the streets of New York City. Raising Kanan creator and showrunner Sascha Penn is executive producer and showrunner on Power: Origins.
In addition to Penn, Power Book III: Raising Kanan is executive produced by the creator and showrunner of the original Power, Courtney A. Kemp, through her production company End of Episode, Jackson through G-Unit Film and Television, and Mark Canton through Atmosphere Entertainment MM. Chris Selak and Kevin Fox also serve as executive producers. Lionsgate Television produces the series for Starz.
Across more than five decades, Pantoliano amassed an extensive catalog of roles in classic American film and television series, which have solidified his status as a prolific Hollywood performer. In 2003, Pantoliano won his first Emmy Award for his portrayal of Ralph Cifaretto in the HBO smash hit crime-drama The Sopranos. Last year, he was nominated for his second Emmy statue for his work as Eugene in HBO’s The Last of Us.
His most recent credits include the fourth installment of the Bad Boys franchise, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, Showtime’s Dexter: Original Sin, and Marvel’s Wonder Man. Additional film credits include The Matrix, Bound and The Fugitive.