Prime Video Show Loses 2 Major Stars
A new Amazon Prime Video series in the works since before the coronavirus pandemic was rocked on Monday when its marquee stars left. Blockers star Leslie Mann and Oscar-winner Tim Robbins were slated to star in The Power and already filmed scenes that need to be reshot. The series is based on Naomi Alderman's 2016 novel of the same name.
Mann was cast as Margot Cleary-Lopez back in October 2019. Robbins joined in January 2021 as Daniel Danton to replace The Office star Rainn Wilson, who became unavailable when production was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The role was rewritten as a part for a recurring guest star after Wilson left. Daniel Dandon will remain a role for a guest star, reports Deadline.
The Power is set in a world where teenage girls can electrocute anyone they want to at will. It's a power that can be taken away from them and changes the power structure in the world. Margot Cleary-Lopez is the mayor of Seattle with three children. Daniel Dandon is a self-righteous Republican governor of Washington state who clashes with Margot. Auliʻi Cravalho (Moana) plays Margot's daughter Jos while John Leguizamo plays her husband Rob. Other actors starring in the series include Toheeb Jimoh, Nico Hiraga, Heather Agyepong, Daniela Vega, Eddie Marsan, Rob Delaney, and Alice Eve.
Although the thriller is losing its two major stars, sources told Deadline that Amazon Studios still plans to go ahead with the project by recasting the roles and shooting scenes from scratch. Alderman wrote the script herself and will be joined by an all-female writers' room for the 10-episode series. Reed Morano (The Rhythm Section) is directing. Morano, Alderman, Jane Featherstone, Naomi de Pear, Claire Wilson, and Sarah Quintrell are the executive producers. Tim Bricknell is a producer on the series.
Robbins won an Oscar for Mystic River but has mostly focused on television roles in recent years. He starred in the HBO shows The Brink and Here and Now, and Hulu's anthology series Castle Rock. His latest movies include Dark Waters and Marjorie Prime. Mann was last seen in Netflix's The Bubble and stars in the Sundance hit Cha Cha Real Smooth. The Power would have been her first regular television series role since 1994 when she starred in the short-lived ABC medical drama Birdland with Brian Dennehy.