We’re in an age of adaptations and as avid book and TV fans, we couldn’t be happier right now. As well as Where The Crawdads Sing, Persuasion and The Summer I Turned Pretty, we have The Doll Factory, The School For Good Mothers and now The Power to look forward to.

The Power bowled us over when it was released back in 2016, giving us a hit of feminist science fiction we didn’t know we needed. Written by Naomi Alderman, the story centres on women developing the ability to release electrical jolts from their fingers, leading to the world being dominated by female power. It’s a dystopian satire that holds a mirror up to our own world in a similar way to The Handmaid’s Tale. In fact, Alderman herself was mentored by Margaret Atwood so The Power really does honour Atwood’s style of writing in the best possible way.

The book was set to be adapted as a TV series back in 2019 but because of pandemic-related delays, it has continually been put on pause. Now, we finally have some exciting updates and none other than Toni Collette is joining the cast. Collette most recently wowed us with her performance in The Staircase, for which she has earned an Emmy nomination. And lest we forget her starring roles in Pieces Of Her and Nightmare Alley.

Here’s everything we know about the series so far. 

The 10-episode thriller is based on Alderman’s novel of the same name and is set to follow the premise pretty closely, by the looks of it.

According to Deadline, the world of The Power is our world, but for one twist of nature. As the synopsis reads: “Suddenly, and without warning, all teenage girls in the world develop the power to electrocute people at will.

“The Power follows a cast of remarkable characters from London to Seattle, Nigeria to Eastern Europe, as the Power evolves from a tingle in teenagers’ collarbones to a complete reversal of the power balance of the world.” 

As previously mentioned, Collette has been confirmed to star in the series, as well as The Good Wife alumna Josh Charles, who will be starring in another key recurring role. They replace Leslie Mann and Tim Robbins, who both exited the series in May.

It’s safe to say that The Power was among the series most seriously impacted by the pandemic. Mann was originally cast as lead Margot Cleary-Lopez in October 2019, followed by Rainn Wilson as the then-male lead series regular role of Daniel Dandon at the start of 2020.

According to Deadline, production started in February 2020 but was shut down the following month due to Covid-19 lockdowns. After filming was delayed for months, Wilson was no longer available and Robbins took over the Dandon role in January 2021. The series returned to production this past spring but Mann and Robbins then left in May. 

Talk about a revolving door of actors, right? Well now Collette will be starring as Margot, the mayor of Seattle, who is described as “an authentic and genuinely progressive politician fighting hard for change”.

According to the synopsis, she has “a sharp tongue, a wicked sense of humor and a passion to leave the world better than she found it. She is also a devoted mother to three children, including Jos (Auli’i Cravalho), and wife to her husband of 20 years Rob (John Leguizamo).

“When the Power emerges, Margot is catapulted into the spotlight, opening the door to unimaginable possibilities – both personal and political.”

Charles will be starring as Dandon, the governor of Washington, who is the consummate politician. As per the synopsis, he is “a liberal and a Democrat” but also “a skilled political animal, an experienced schmoozer who is great at playing the game – and poised to be the state’s next senator. That is, until the emergence of the Power.” 

The duo join remaining cast members Cravalho (Crush), Leguizamo (The Menu), Eddie Marsan (The Thief, His Wife And The Canoe), Ria Zmitrowicz (Three Girls), Toheeb Jimoh (Ted Lasso), Zrinka Cvitesic (On The Path), Ana Ularu (Siberia) and Edwina Findlay (If Loving You Is Wrong).

In addition, Raelle Tucker (Jessica Jones, True Blood) has joined The Power as executive producer and showrunner, while author Alderman will also serve as executive producer. 

With all of the previous delays, we’re just excited to learn of these major casting updates for The Power. As of now, a release date for the series has not been confirmed but we do know that we will be able to watch it on Prime Video.

Watch this space for updates. 

Images: Getty; Penguin Books