TVLine reports:
The Whedonverse is expanding to HBO.
The premium cabler on Friday gave a series order to Joss Whedon‘s The Nevers, which 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.”
Whedon — who previously toyed with creating a “Victorian female Batman” for the stalled comic book series Twist— will write, direct and executive-produce the HBO drama, as well as serve as showrunner. His previous live-action TV forays include, of course, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firefly, as well as Dollhouse and the co-creation of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (where his brother Jed serves as co-showrunner).
“I honestly couldn’t be more excited,” Whedon said in a statement. “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,” he added. “I could go on, but — I’m impatiently grateful to say – I have work to do.”
Said HBO president Casey Bloys, “We have long been fans of the incredibly talented and prolific Joss Whedon and we can’t think of a better project … 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.”
Deadline reports:
[HBO] landed the project in a competitive situation, with Netflix said to be among those pursuing it.
It marks the first TV series for Whedon since he co-created ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the first solely created by him since the cult 2009 Fox drama Dollhouse. Before that he created the hit Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Firefly, both of which developed a devoted following that remains strong. Buffy also spawned a successful spimoff[sic] series, Angel.
