Deadline brings word that Joss Whedon’s (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Justice League, Avengers: Age of Ultron) upcoming new series at HBO, The Nevers, has found its lead in Outlander star Laura Donnelly.
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The Nevers follows in the footsteps of Buffy with a fantastical story featuring powerful female characters. The show will be 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.
“Laura Donnelly has charisma, wisdom and an anarchic precision that not only captures Amalia but defines her,” Whedon said. “She’s fierce and she’s funny — and I need both for the journey ahead.”
The 36-year-old actress has signed on to portray Amalia True, a reckless and emotionally impulsive hero who is a menace to Victorian society and would kill for a drink but also die for the cause.
“The Nevers is maybe the most ambitious narrative I’ve created,” Whedon, who also co-created Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD, previously stated. “It’s been too long since I created an entirely new fictional world.”
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“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,” Casey Bloys, President of Programming at HBO, added. “We look forward to meeting the strange, multifaceted characters, to learn their stories, see them in action and share them with our viewers.”
Whedon will serve as executive producer, showrunner, writer, and director on the series. Jane Espenson and Doug Petrie also serve as co-writers and executive producers alongside EP Bernie Caulfield.