Amazon is adapting Naomi Alderman’s feminist sci-fi novel ‘The Power’ for TV series
“Broadchurch†producer Jane Featherstone and “The Handmaid’s Tale†director Reed Morano are teaming up for a TV adaptation of Naomi Alderman’s feminist fantasy novel “The Power†for Amazon.
Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios, announced the news Wednesday at the Television Critics Assn. press tour in Pasadena.
Alderman’s international dystopian bestseller imagines a world in which teen girls develop the power to electrocute people and thereby enable them to fight their oppressors. It’s a decidedly different portrayal from another popular book and show exploring women and power — “The Handmaid’s Tale,†a portrait of women’s freedom and rights being stripped away.
“The Power is a timely, provocative series that will powerfully resonate with the book’s passionate fans worldwide,†Salke said in an official statement.
Alderman will serve as an executive producer on the 10-part thriller, along with Featherstone and Morano, as well as Naomi de Pear (“The Bisexual,†“Flowersâ€). The series will be produced by Featherstone’s Sister Pictures and Tim Bricknell (“Trust,†“Tabooâ€).
Morano, who recently inked an overall deal with Amazon, is attached to direct the series. In 2017, she became the first woman in 22 years to win an Emmy for directing a drama series with her work on “The Handmaid’s Tale.â€
“The Power†will go into production later this year and will be shot on location around the world. A premiere date will be announced at a later date — and when it does make its bow, the drama will get a global launch on Amazon Prime Video in more than 200 countries and territories.
In a statement, Alderman praised Amazon as the right home for the series, noting the company’s interest in reaching the widest possible audience.
“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.â€
Twitter: @villarrealy
The complete guide to home viewing
Get Screen Gab for everything about the TV shows and streaming movies everyone’s talking about.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
