Joss Whedon is leaving HBO drama The Nevers.
Whedon was set to co-write and direct the 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.
The drama is still set to air in summer 2021. It was handed a straight-to-series order by the premium cable network in summer 2018.
The Nevers was to mark 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 spinoff series, Angel.
Co-written by Whedon and Buffy alums Jane Espenson and Doug Petrie, The Nevers stars Laura Donnelly (Outlander) as the lead, Olivia Williams (Miss Austen Regrets), James Norton (Grantchester), Tom Riley (Dark Heart), Ann Skelly (Death and Nightingales), Ben Chaplin (The Children Act), Pip Torrens (The Crown), Zackary Momoh (Seven Seconds), Amy Manson (Torchwood), Nick Frost (Fighting With My Family), Rochelle Neil (Death in Paradise), Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark) and Denis O’Hare (This Is Us).
“We have parted ways with Joss Whedon. We remain excited about the future of The Nevers and look forward to its premiere in the summer of 2021,” a HBO spokeswoman said in a statement Wednesday.
“This year of unprecedented challenges has impacted my life and perspective in ways I could never have imagined, and while developing and producing The Nevers has been a joyful experience, I realize that the level of commitment required moving forward, combined with the physical challenges of making such a huge show during a global pandemic, is more than I can handle without the work beginning to suffer,” Whedon noted.
“I am genuinely exhausted, and am stepping back to martial my energy towards my own life, which is also at the brink of exciting change. I am deeply proud of the work we have done; I’m grateful to all my extraordinary cast and collaborators, and to HBO for the opportunity to shape yet another strange world. The Nevers is a true labor of love, but after two plus years of labor, love is about all I have to offer. It will never fade,” he added.
Cinemablend broke the news first today.