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HBO orders Whedon sci-fi drama

US premium cablenet HBO has ordered a sci-fi drama from Joss Whedon about Victorian women who must use their new-found supernatural abilities to change the world.

Joss Whedon

Whedon will be showrunner on The Nevers and will also write, direct and exec produce. He was previously behind Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as The Avengers movie.

The news comes a month after AT&T was cleared to complete its acquisition of HBO owner Time Warner, with the telco giant expected to ramp up the cablenet’s output to compete with streamers. Netflix was reportedly competing for The Nevers project.

It adds to HBO’s expanding 2019 drama roster, which includes Demimonde from JJ Abrams, The Undoing with Nicole Kidman, the final season of Game of Thrones and the return of Big Little Lies.

Casey Bloys, HBO’s programming president, said: “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.”

Whedon described the show as “maybe the most ambitious narrative I’ve created, and I can’t imagine a better home for it than HBO.”

He added: “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 offer not just scope and experience, not just prestige, but a passionate collaboration.”

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