Joss Whedon adds Olivia Williams, Dennis O’Hare & more to HBO’s The Nevers

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

It's been a little while since Joss Whedon last brought us a TV series, but his next is shaping up to be something quite interesting. HBO gave a straight-to-series order to The Nevers earlier this month, an epic science fiction drama centered around a gang of Victorian women who find themselves with unusual abilities, relentless enemies, and a mission that might change the world.

We already know that Laura Donnelly (Outlander) will lead the series as Amalia True, "the most reckless, impulsive, emotionally damaged hero of her time. A menace to stuffy Victorian society, she would die for the cause and kill for a drink," and now HBO has rounded out the cast with 12 new additions. Take a deep breath, here we go:

• Olivia Williams (Dollhouse) will play Lavinia Bidlow, "A wealthy spinster and champion of the 'Touched', Lavinia funds the Orphanage (where Amalia and many of the Touched live) through her vast family fortune. She is stern and old-fashioned, but as strong-willed and clever as anyone she confronts."
• James Norton (Grantchester) will play Hugo Swan, "a pansexual posh boy whose charm has about five years left on its lease. He runs a secret club and a side trade in blackmail. He’s devoted to fulfilling everyone’s worst impression of him – and fascinated by the Touched."
• Tom Riley (Da Vinci's Demons) will play Augustus "Augie" Bidlow, "a sweet, disarming nerd and Lavinia’s younger brother. A keen ornithologist, Augie is happy to let his older sister take the reins of the family fortune. He finds the Touched unnerving, but is drawn to them by his increasing infatuation with Miss Adair, and by the schemes of his nefarious best friend, Hugo."
• Ann Skelly (Death and Nightingales) will play Penance Adair, "Amalia’s dearest friend, and one of the first women to join her cause. A devout – yet heretically progressive – Irish girl, Penance has genius for invention. She is delighted by her power, and her default is love and acceptance. But she’s firm in her moral sense, and will be guided by what’s right over what’s expedient every time."
• Ben Chaplin (SNOWDEN) will play Detective Frank Mundi, "Big, gruff, and deeply moral, Detective Mundi trusts no one, least of all himself: his reputation for sudden violence (and excessive drink) is not unwarranted. Frank finds himself caught between the powerful, who ignore the the laws of the land, and newly empowered, who ignore the laws of physics."
• Pip Torrens (The Crown) will play Lord Massen, "Staunch, unflappable and merciless in his defense of the British Empire, this former General, now Peer, may be the only man who sees clearly what havoc these few strange people can wreak upon the established order. Which he will protect, one way or another."
• Zackary Momoh (DOCTOR SLEEP) will play Doctor Horatio Cousens, "One of the few successful West Indian physicians in London. Married with a young son, Horatio’s fortunes took a dark turn when he met Amalia and discovered his own ability. Now he works with her, and with the Beggar King, those who don’t care who is or isn’t 'different.'"
• Amy Manson (Torchwood) will play Maladie, "Committed by her husband (and genuinely unstable), she’s been warped by a power she can’t understand, and tortured by doctors intent on finding its source. She now lives underground, runs a gang and is on an infamous murder spree. She affects a theatrical parody of a bedlam waif, but mad as she is, she’s a woman with a purpose."
• Nick Frost (FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY) will play Declan Orrun, aka The Beggar King, "Charismatic and brutal, Declan runs – or has a piece of – most of the low-level criminal activity in the city. He’s perfectly happy to help Amalia and her cause – and equally happy to sell them out. He backs winners, and the Touched are long odds."
• Rochelle Neil (TERMINATOR: DARK FATE) will play, Annie Carbey, aka Bonfire, "a career criminal who landed the ability to control fire and is happy to hire it out. Came up rough, stayed that way, but she’s neither impulsive nor cruel – just looking out for herself. No matter who she works with or for, Annie trusts only Annie, and the fire."
• Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark) will play Mary Brighton, "Gentle but surprisingly resilient, Mary pursued her dream of singing on stage. A disappointing career and a broken engagement haven’t diminished her spirit. She’s going to be great. She’s going to be very surprised how."
• Denis O'Hare (This Is Us) will play Dr. Edmund Hague, "A gifted American surgeon, he uses his skills in the coldest, most brutal way possible. But it’s all in the name of progress!"

That's quite the group. I certainly can't wait to see what Joss Whedon has cooked up with The Nevers. Joss Whedon serves as writer, director, executive producer, and showrunner on The Nevers, with Jane Espenson and Doug Petrie writing and executive producing; Bernie Caulfield also serves as an executive producer. Production on The Nevers got underway earlier this month