After almost nine years writing and directing blockbuster films such as The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Justice League, Joss Whedon returns to the small screen. Whedon is best known for his popular TV shows such as Firefly and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. According to Variety, last July, Whedon’s show The Nevers was a straight-to-series show for HBO. The show is described as an epic sci-fi drama about Victorian women who discover they have unusual abilities, relentless enemies, and a mission that could alter the world.
Back when the show got picked up in July, Whedon stated, “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 masters of cinematic longform, 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.”
Back in April, HBO announced the casting of Laura Donnelly as Amalia True, the lead character in the show. Fans of Donnelly will know her as Jenny Fraser from Starz’s Outlander. They described the character as reckless, impulsive, and an emotionally damaged hero. As a menace to stuffy Victorian society, she would die for her cause and kill for a drink. Whedon stated, “Laura Donnelly has charisma, wisdom and an anarchic precision that not only captures Amalia, but defines her. She’s fierce and she’s funny-and I need both for the journey ahead.”
Late yesterday, HBO announced twelve new actors that will be joining Donnelly in the show. Olivia Williams will be playing Lavinia Bidlow. Williams previously worked with Whedon on Fox’s Dollhouse back in 2009 where she played Adelle DeWitt. Williams’ is described as a wealthy spinster and champion of the “Touched,” who funds an Orphanage, where Amalia and many of the Touched live. She is stern and old-fashioned, but strong-willed and clever.
Tom Riley, known for his work on Da Vinci’s Demons as Leonardo Da Vinci, will be playing Augustus ‘Augie’ Bidlow. He is a sweet, disarming nerd and Lavinia’s younger brother. He is a keen ornithologist, and is happy to let his sister take the reins of the family fortune. He finds the Touched unnerving, but is drawn to them due to his infatuation with Miss Adair, and by the schemes of his best friend, Hugo.
James Norton, known for his role as Sidney Chambers, will be playing Hugo Swann. Swann is a pansexual posh boy whose charm is running out. He runs a secret club and a side trade in blackmail. He is devoted to fulfilling everyone’s worst impression of him, and he is fascinated by the Touched.
Ann Skelly, best known for her work as Beth Winters in Death and Nightingales, will be playing Penance Adair. She is Amalia’s closest friend, and one of the first women to join Amalia’s cause. She is a devout, yet hermetically progressive, Irish woman, who is a genius for invention. She is delighted by her power, and her default is her love and acceptance. However, she is firm in her moral sense, and will be guided by what’s right over what’s expedient.
Ben Chaplin, who is best known for his portrayal of Robert Tibbo in Snowden, will be playing Detective Frank Mundi. He is a big, gruff, and deeply moral detective who trusts no one, least of all himself. He has a reputation for unwarranted violence and excessive drinking. He soon finds himself caught between the powerful, who ignore the laws of the land, and the newly empowered, who ignore the laws of physics.
Pip Torrens, known best for his role as Tommy Lascelles in The Crown, will be playing Lord Massen. He is staunch, unflappable, and merciless in defense of the British Empire. He is a former General and now a Peer that may be the only man who sees clearly what havoc the Touched can wreak on the Empire, which he will protect no matter what.
Zackary Momoh, best known for his portrayal of Seth Butler in Seven Seconds, will be playing Doctor Horatio Cousens. He is one of the few successful West Indian doctors in London. He is married with a young son, and his fortunes took a dark turn when he met Amalia discovering his own ability. Now he works for her, and with the Beggar King.
Nick Frost, best known for his role as PC Danny Butterman in Hot Fuzz, will be playing Declan Orrun, also known as The Beggar King. He is a charismatic yet brutal man who runs most of the low-level criminal activity in the city. He is happy to help Amalia and her cause, and equally happy to sell them out. He backs winners, and the Touched are long odds.
Amy Manson, known for her role in Being Human as Daisy, will be playing Maladie. She is an unstable woman who was committed to a hospital by her husband. She has been warped by a power that she does not understand, and was tortured by her doctors, who are determined to find the source of her powers. She now lives underground, runs a gang, and is on an infamous murder spree. She affects a theatrical parody of a bedlam waif, but mad as she is, she is a woman with a purpose.
Rochelle Neil, best known for her role as Jessica in Episodes, will be playing Annie Carbey, also known as Bonfire. She is a career criminal who has the ability to control fire and is a criminal for hire. She had a rough upbringing and she stayed that way, but she is neither impulsive nor cruel. She is just looking out for herself no matter who she works for or with; she only trusts herself and her fire.
Eleanor Tomlinson, best known for her role in Poldark as Demelza Carne, will be playing Mary Brighton. She is a gentle but surprisingly resilient woman who is pursuing her dream of singing on stage. But a disappointing career and a broken engagement haven’t diminished her spirit. She is going to be great, and going to be surprised how.
Denis O’Hare, best known for his numerous roles in American Horror Story, will be playing Doctor Edmund Hague. He is a gifted American surgeon who uses his skills in the coldest and most brutal way possible. But it is all in the name of progress.
According to HBO, Whedon will be the creator, showrunner, executive producer, and director for the series. He will be working alongside Bernadette Caulfield, best known for her work on Game of Thrones. Also writing and executive producing the show is Jane Espenson and Doug Petrie, who both worked alongside Whedon on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
The president of HBO programming, Casey Bloys, stated, “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 honored that Joss chose HBO as the place to build his ambitious new world and we are excited to get started.”