There’s a lot to look forward to this year TV-wise, particularly when it comes to Amazon Prime Video. Perhaps the one we’re most excited for, though, is the platform’s upcoming adaptation of Naomi Alderman’s bestselling book The Power – especially after watching the very first trailer for the star-studded series.

What’s the plot of The Power?

As per the novel, which was first published in 2016, The Power sees teenage girls suddenly gain the ability to electrocute anyone they want to, simply by touching them with their hands.

The book focuses on four key characters: Allie, a vulnerable American foster child who reinvents herself as a faith leader; Roxy, the daughter of a London crime boss, who revels in her new abilities; Tunde, a Nigerian journalist reporting on seismic global change; Jos Cleary-Lopez, a teenager who is coming to terms with her new skills; Tatiana, a former gymnast turned wife of an eastern European dictator who longs for authority of her own; and Margot Cleary-Lopez, the Democratic Mayor of Seattle, loving wife and doting mother to three children.

The TV adaptation will follow this “cast of remarkable characters from London to Seattle, Nigeria to Moldova, as the Power evolves from a tingle in teenagers’ collarbones to a complete reversal of the power balance of the world.”

Watch the trailer for The Power below:

“We never dared to imagine it: A world that was built for us, where we made the rules,” says Margot (Toni Collette) in a voiceover. 

“That world was at our fingertips all this time. All we had to do was burn down the world that was.”

Who stars in the cast of The Power?

Here’s a full list of the cast so far announced for The Power:

• Toni Collette as Mayor Margot Cleary-Lopez
• John Leguizamo as Rob Lopez
• Auli’i Cravalho as Jos Cleary-Lopez
• Toheeb Jimoh as Tunde Ojo
• Josh Charles as Daniel Dandon
• Eddie Marsan as Bernie Monke
• Ria Zmitrowicz as Roxy Monke
• Zrinka Cvitešić as Tatiana Moskalev
• Halle Bush as Allie Montgomery
• Nico Hiraga as Ryan
• Heather Agyepong as Ndudi
• Daniela Vega as Sister Maria
• Archie Rush as Darrell Monke
• Gerrison Machado as Matt Cleary-Lopez
• Pietra Castro as Izzy Cleary-Lopez
• Rob Delaney as Tom
• Alice Eve as Kristen
• Edwina Findley as Helen
• Jacob Fortune-Lloyd as Ricky Monke
• Avital Lvova as Liat Monke
• Sam Buchanan as Terry Monke
• Juliet Cowan as Barbara Monke
• Simbi Ajikawo as Adunola
• Ana Ularu as Zoia

Speaking to Vanity Fair about the project, Collette said: “When we were shooting, they showed us a teaser trailer cut together. 

“It’s so incredibly cinematic, but I also found it so moving because seeing such a diverse range of female actors on screen was just so unusual. And it’s a story about women having agency, feeling safe and confident, and having some sense of sovereignty, so it’s very empowering to be a part of and to watch.”

Who is working on The Power behind-the-scenes?

The Power has been adapted for screen by Alderman herself, who led an all-women writing team boasting the talents of Claire Wilson, Sarah Quintrell, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Rebecca Levene and Whit Anderson. 

Neasa Hardiman and Lisa Gunning, meanwhile, join the all-women directing team of Reed Morano, Shannon Murphy and Ugla Hauksdóttir.

Jane Featherstone and Naomi de Pear join Alderman, Morano and Wilson in executive producing the project.

The show’s all-female directors, Collette says, “contributed so much in terms of vision and collaborating, truly collaborating.” 

What are people saying about The Power?

Alderman is over the moon that her story will be reaching a global audience, and has said that she is “thrilled beyond words”.

“The story is a global one, about the lives of women and men everywhere in the world, so I’m hugely excited that The Power will be sparking conversation and debate essentially… everywhere,” she said. 

“We’re going to make something revolutionary and, dare I say it, electrifying.”

Collette, meanwhile, says: “The story entertains the idea of global change via a particular kind of power that evolves and presents in young women, so it is a very, very big far-reaching story.”

She adds: “It’s almost like a metaphor for the power that is actually inherent in all of us. It’s just that we’re born into a world that doesn’t encourage it in women. To be a part of telling a story that allows women to feel strong in that way is just beautiful.”

When will The Power be available to stream on Amazon Prime?

The Power will be hitting our TV screens on 31 March 2023, via Prime Video.

Will you be watching?

Images: Prime Video