Joss Whedon is heading back to the small screen for his latest project. The director ofThe AvengersandAvengers: Age of Ultronhas just had his new series, The Nevers, ordered straight to series by HBO. There’s no word on a release date or production timetable as of yet, but the network seems to have a lot of confidence in what Whedon has cooked up and has decided to skip shooting a pilot and will deliver at least one season of the show.
The Neverswas reportedly subject to a bidding war between several suitors, with Netflix in the mix. Ultimately, HBO won out. The series is described 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.“Joss Whedonwill serve as writer, director, executive producer and showrunner. So he’s going to be very busy with this new project, to say the least. Here’s what Whedon had to say about it in a statement.
“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 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 offers 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.”
Joss Whedon most recently took over directing duties onJustice Leagueonce Zack Snyder exited the project. Whedon didn’t receive a directing credit, but the final product was in large part his doing. He was also working on aBatgirlmovie before dropping out of the project. Before he started helming major comic book movies, Whedon created the hit seriesBuffy the Vampire Slayer, which spawned the very successful spin-offAngel. He also createdFirefly, which only ran for one season but has maintained a massive cult following. He’s also an executive producer on Marvel’sAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.The Neversis the first new series he’s created sinceDollhouse. HBO programming president Casey Bloys had this to say about the new series and partnership with Whedon.
“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.”
While no premiere date is set for the new series, 2019 seems unlikely as HBO’s plate is very full. The network already has a slew of shows returning over the next year including
Big Little Lies,True Detective,Veep,Barry,Ballers,Crashing,Curb Your Enthusiasm,The Deuce,Insecure,Silicon Valley, andSuccession. They’ve also got J.J. Abrams' new seriesDemimonde, Jordan Peele’sLovecraft Countrythe upcomingWatchmenadaptation from Damon Lindelof,Westworldseason 3 in the works and, last but not least, the final season ofGame of Thronesairing next year. The good news is, that should give Joss Whedon a healthy amount of time to getThe Neversready for air. This news comes to us courtesy ofThe Hollywood Reporter.
