It has been more than two years since the TV adaptation of Naomi Alderman’s sci-fi novel The Power was first announced, and it has just recently restarted its production after being temporarily shut down due to the ongoing pandemic. Now, the project has suffered another setback, as it loses two of its leading cast members.
According to Deadline, Leslie Mann (Blockers) and Oscar winner Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption) have officially decided to exit Amazon’s long-in-development global thriller. Their respective characters Margot Cleary-Lopez and Daniel Dandon will be recast, while the scenes they’ve already shot back in 2020 will be reshot.
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Written and created by Alderman, The Power series is a 10-episode feminist thriller that will be told in a subversive and multi-stranded narrative. “It tells the story of when all teenage girls in the world suddenly gain the power to electrocute people at will,” reads the synopsis. “They soon discover that their newfound ability is something that is hereditary, inbuilt, and impossible to take away.”
The series will star Auli’i Cravalho, John Leguizamo, Toheeb Jimoh, Nico Hiraga, Ria Zmitrowicz, Halle Bush, Heather Agyepong, Daniela Vega, and Eddie Marsan. Additional cast includes Rob Delaney, Alice Eve, Edwina Findley, Jacob Fortune-Llyod, and more.
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It is being executive produced by Alderman, Claire Wilson, Whit Anderson (Ozark), Stacy Osei-Kuffour (Watchmen, PEN15), and Rebecca Levene along with story consultant Sarah Quintrell (Ellen).
The Power is a production by Jane Featherstone’s Sister Pictures (Chernobyl). The Handmaid’s Tale‘s Reed Morano and Naomi de Pear also serve as executive producers with Morano set as the director. The series is also produced by Tim Bricknell.
