Whedon’s next big TV venture for HBO now has a lead star for its group of superpowered Victorian heroines.
Deadline reports that Outlander’s Laura Donnelly has been tapped to star in The Nevers, Joss Whedon’s new HBO project with his Buffy co-writers Jane Espenson and Doug Petrie about a group of supernaturally-powered Victorian women tasked with reckoning not just with their own strange powers, but a dangerous mission that could change the world.
Donnelly will play the main character in the series, Amalia True, described as “the most reckless, impulsive, emotionally damaged hero of her time.” Here’s the attached quote from Whedon himself about Donnelly’s casting:
Laura Donnelly has charisma, wisdom and an anarchic precision that not only captures Amalia but defines her. She’s fierce and she’s funny – and I need both for the journey ahead.
That’s all we know about the character for now—and really, all we know about The Nevers beyond its intriguing premise. HBO has yet to set any dates for it, but has already ordered the show straight to series, so there’s little doubt that we’ll be hearing a lot more in the not-too-distant future about Whedon’s next major series.