Where Was Amazon's The Power Actually Filmed?

For those who haven't seen the Amazon series "The Power," you might be in for a bit of a shock  — pun intended. 

Based on a New York Times best-selling novel written by Naomi Alderman, the show takes place in a world where, out of the blue, teenage girls develop a power that allows them to electrocute others at will. This newfound ability drastically transforms society's pecking order; suddenly, these women can eliminate anyone who stands in their way. The story charges to an even higher level when it is discovered that these teens can use this power to awaken older women to have it too. Starring Toni Collette, Auli'i Carvalho, and John Leguizamo, the show dropped the entire first season on Amazon in April 2023. But this wasn't when it was originally intended to launch.

Fans who've been following the series' development know that "The Power" was optioned in 2016 and slated to begin filming back in 2019, with desired locations around Georgia. In May of that year, then-director Reed Morano divulged in an Instagram post that the series would be among those pulling out of the state, in response to the state's newly-implemented anti-abortion legislation. 

"It feels wrong for a reason," she said at the time. "And it felt wrong to us to go ahead and make our show and take money/tax credit from a state that is taking this stance on the abortion issue. We just couldn't do it."

Following the casting of names like Rainn Wilson and Leslie Mann, production began in February of 2020 — just in time for the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. By January of 2021, pandemic concerns began to lessen, but Wilson was no longer available and had to be replaced by Tim Robbins. It wouldn't be until 2022 that production would officially resume — but after shooting two episodes, "The Handmaid's Tale" director Morano exited as both director and executive producer, and Mann and Robbins departed as well. 

Ultimately, the decision was made to recast those parts with Collette and Josh Charles; Raelle Tucker ("Jessica Jones") joined as the new showrunner, and plans (including re-shooting those first two episodes and reducing the series order from 10 to nine) were put in place to film in far-flung locales like England, Namibia, and British Columbia.

Since the sudden adoption of these extraordinary abilities are simultaneously experienced by women all over the world, producers decided to lean into the notion that this happening knows no borders. One of the series' shooting locations became England; scenes of the show take place in multiple spots, including London. Other locations in England include Bawdsey (a town in Suffolk, where a sizable convent was constructed as part of the story), as well as Fairford and Lechlade (both located in nearby Gloucestershire). According to the Suffolk publication The Knowledge, throughout production the series has made it a point to employ local artists and crew whenever possible. 

To further underline the show's worldly impact, "The Power" migrated across the pond. 

For scenes that required a big city feel, "The Power" followed the lead of many Hollywood productions over the years, heading to Vancouver. The skyline is known for its malleability as a backdrop, so the Canadian city would become a prime filming location. Producers relied heavily on burgeoning Bridge Studios, currently in development on a construction project that will bring the popular filming home (in nearby Burnaby) to a total of 55 sound stages. 

"The Power" also shot in Africa, employing the entrance to the city of Walvis Bay in Namibia for its picturesque flora and fauna (as well as frequent sightings of whales, seals, pelicans and more along its beaches). Walvis Bay, the second-largest city in Namibia, played home to the production in late 2021, where a stretch of road neighboring Aphrodite Beach was closed for production.