Josh Whedon sci-fi 'The Nevers' lands at HBO

HBO has picked up The Nevers, a sci-fi drama series to be written and directed by Buffy The Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon.

The series is described by HBO as “an epic science fiction drama about a gang of Victorian women who find themselves with unusual abilities, relentless enemies, and a mission that might change the world.” Whedon will also serve as executive producer and showrunner.

Whedon has most recently been an executive producer, writer and director on broadcast network series Marvel’s Agents Of SHIELD, which he co-created. He also wrote and directed 2015 Marvel feature Avengers: Age Of Ultron. The last TV project on which he was sole creator was 2009 network sci-fi series Dollhouse.

In a statement, HBO president of programming Casey Bloys said, “We have long been fans of the incredibly talented and prolific Joss Whedon and we can’t think of a better project than The Nevers with which to welcome him to the HBO family.

“We look forward to meeting the strange, multifaceted characters of The Nevers, to learn their stories, see them in action and share them with our viewers. We’re honoured that Joss chose HBO as the place to build his ambitious new world and we are excited to get started.”

Whedon added, “I honestly couldn’t be more excited. The Nevers is maybe the most ambitious narrative I’ve created, and I can’t imagine a better home for it than HBO. Not only are they the masters of cinematic long-form, but their instant understanding of my odd, intimate epic was as emotional as it was incisive. It’s been too long since I created an entirely new fictional world, and the HBO team offer not just scope and experience, not just ‘prestige’, but a passionate collaboration. I could go on, but – I’m impatiently grateful to say – I have work to do.”