A new fantasy TV show is in development atAmazon Prime Video, based on a bestselling book series. Only weeks after Amazon announced the cancellation of its high-budget epic fantasy title,The Wheel of Time, the streaming platform has a potential replacement in the works. With titles likeThe Rings of PowerinAmazon’s ever-growing original TV libraryand others likeFourth WingandGod of Warsupposedly on the way, Prime Video is still trying to maintain its presence as a go-to for fantasy television.
FollowingGame of Thrones, every streaming service has wanted a major fantasy title of its own, and thoughThe Wheel of Timedidn’t pan out, the hunt for more never stops. The 21st century has shown fantasy truly take off as a bestselling genre, with new subgenres appealing to vastly different audience pools. Amazon’s new show islikely to target a fresh demographic of fantasy TV audiences.
Amazon Prime Video Is Adapting Lauren Roberts' Powerless
Powerless Is A Bestselling YA Fantasy/Romance Trilogy
According toDeadline, Amazon has picked up the YA fantasy seriesPowerless, by Lauren Roberts. The trilogy is geared toward younger audiences than titles likeThe Rings of Power, and might find more common ground with YA shows likeThe Summer I Turned Pretty. The romantic fantasy series, which has trended on TikTok, is beingdeveloped for TV by Daphne Ferraro, a writer who’s worked on titles likeMaxton Hall: The World Between Usand Netflix’s hit mystery sci-fi show,Dark. The studio behind the project is Olive Bridge Productions (Anyone But You,Peter Rabbit).
Powerlesstakes place in a fictional world ruled by the Elites, following a main character in a lower class called the Ordinaries. Paedyn Gray is a thief whose father was executed by the king, and her life takes a surprising turn when she incidentally saves the prince. The focus of the books is centered around an event called the “Purging Trials,” in which Paedyn is forced to compete.The series mixes elements of high fantasy, romance, and dystopian themes, much like Suzanne Collins’The Hunger Gamesseries.
Our Take On Prime Video’s Powerless
Powerless Sounds Like Fantasy Hunger Games
I was disappointed thatThe Wheel of Timedidn’t work out for Amazon Prime, butPowerlessseems like a more guaranteed hit if it’s executed well. The romantacy genre has struggled to get off the ground in Hollywood, with titles likeACOTARandFourth Wingstuck in development for years. If Prime can pushPowerlessalong, itcan pave the way for an entire subgenre of fantasy on television, offering an appeal similar to the wildly successfulHunger Gamesmovies. It just needs to land with its target audience.
