Written by: Alessandra Motisi – Publication date:
Electricity, like fire, is a double-edged sword: has the ability to shape societies with a healthy brilliance, but can destroy them in an equally dazzling way. It is the lifeblood of modern life, and without it, everyday life as we know it would rapidly crumble. Prime Video’s upcoming TV series, Electric Girls, aims to underline how powerful electricity can be in a sci-fi setting, featuring a group of women capable of electrocuting people with their fingertips.
It’s no secret that dystopian plots are a success – an example of the genre, The Handmaid’s Tale and Black Mirror. In the sci-fi drama series Electric Girls, the protagonists have electricity literally at their fingertips, making them more powerful than ever. Instead of always being afraid of men taking over, they are now able to use their power to follow their aspirations and defend their rights like never before. With Toni Collette helming this female-centric project, this sci-fi thriller is coming to the streaming platform soon.
The starting material
The novel Electric Girls (original title: The Power) was originally written by Naomi Alderman in 2016. The writer said that while a sequel to the original story is not likely, the show of Prime Video will adapt the original story by deepening the characters.
The Power was originally published in 2017 ed it was included in Barack Obama’s list of favorite books that year. It has since been translated into over 25 languages and has won numerous literary awards.
With an intriguing premise, an exceptional cast and a release date now on the horizon, here is all the known information about the TV series.
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Plot
Second the description released by the platform, “The world represented is ours but, in a freak of nature, teenagers develop the power to electrocute whomever they want. The gift, of extraordinary characters from London to Seattle from Nigeria to Eastern Europe, starts from a tingling on the collarbones to a total reversal of the balance of power”.
Instead of following a single protagonist and how she deals with her newfound powers, it looks like we’ll be seeing multiple perspectives from a variety of places and cultures, highlighting how different parts of the world might react to women who suddenly develop this strange ability. The show keeps in line with the original story of the novel, also presenting multiple conflicts that the platform audience may appreciate. Furthermore, Electric Girls provides an opportunity to convey the themes of feminism and the balance of power from a variety of angles.
It is definitely the right time to explore these topics: With the ongoing civil unrest in Iran and ongoing discussions of internal inequalities, the TV series feels an opportunity to make a genuine statement about the protesters’ motives. Despite originally being written in 2016, its messages and ideas will likely continue to resonate with new audiences.
For those concerned that the show isn’t faithful to its source material, rest easy: the same Naomi Alderman in fact, he will be part of the show’s writing team – having written an entire episode herself and being one of the producers.
Cast
Electric Girls will be played by:
- Toni Collette – Sindaco Margot Cleary-Lopez;
- Toheeb Friday – Tunde Ojo;
- Hall Bush – Allie Montgomery;
- Ria Zmitrovich – Roxy Monke;
- Auli’i Cravalho – Jos Cleary-Lopez;
- John Leguizamo – Rob Lopez;
- Nico Hiraga – Ryan;
- Heather Agyepong – Ndudi;
- Zrinka Cvitesic – Tatiana Moskalev;
- Alice Eve – Kristen;
- Eddie Marsan – Bernie Monke;
- Josh Charles – Governor Daniel Dandon;
- Mezi Atwood – Sandra;
- Rob Delaney – Tom;
- Edwina Findley – Helen;
- Daniela Vega – Sister Maria;
- Gerrison Machado – Matty Clearly-Lopez;
- Gary McDonald – Big Frank;
- Castro stone – Izzy Cleary-Lopez.
Production
This female empowerment series is led by women, both in front of and behind the camera. Raelle Tucker will serve as showrunner and executive producer on this project, and is known for her work on True Blood, Jessica Jones and The Returned.
The first season was written by an all-female team: Sarah Quintrell, Claire Wilson, Brennan Elizabeth Peters, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Raelle Tucker e Naomi Alderman (who wrote the original novel).
As directors we find instead Ugla Hauksdóttir (Hanna), Lisa Gunning (Nowhere Boy), Near Hardiman (Jessica Jones), Logan Kibbens (The L Word: Generation Q) e Shannon Murphy (Killing Eve).
Episodes and release date
Electric Girls will consist of 9 episodes. Dwill debut on Prime Video with the first three episodes on March 31stwhile the remaining six will be made available every Friday until the season finale, scheduled for May 12.
Trailer
Below are the official trailers published on Prime Video’s social channels.
