For over a year, Joss Whedon has been developing his next TV project, The Nevers. It was announced back in April that Laura Donnelly will headline the series as Amalia True, and the show follows a group of women with enhanced abilities living in Victorian England. But now, Variety brings word that Whedon has enlisted a dozen actors to fill out The Nevers’ principal cast.
Whedon has recruited at least one familiar face to star opposite Donnelly. Olivia Williams (pictured above), a veteran of Whedon’s short-lived Dollhouse, will play Lavinia Bidlow, a spinster who comes from a wealthy background. She is also described as a “champion of the ‘Touched.’” Presumably, this is the collective name for the super-powered characters. Lavina also uses her family fortune to pump money into the Orphanage; which provides sanctuary for the Touched.
James Norton is co-starring as Hugo Swann, the owner of a secret club and an expert in blackmail. Hugo is apparently “fascinated by the Touched,” but it also sounds like he only plans on giving them a hard time. Norton previously appeared on BBC’s Happy Valley and War & Peace. He will also co-star in the upcoming Little Women remake.
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Ann Skelly (Vikings) has been tapped to play Amalia’s best friend, Penance Adair, who has a “genius for invention.” She also possesses a robust moral compass, but nevertheless is able to enjoy her newfound powers. Meanwhile, Tom Riley (Da Vinci’s Demons) is playing Lavinia’s younger brother, the ornithologst Augustus “Augie” Bidlow. Although Augie is apprehensive about the Touched, he becomes infatuated with Penance.
Some of the characters won’t have the best handle on their powers. This will be the case for Maladie, as played by Amy Manson from Torchwood and Being Human. Maladie is mentally unstable and she has undergone torturous procedures by doctors seeking to learn the source of her abilities. She will descend into a life of crime by leading her own gang and embarking on a killing spree. Similarly, Rochelle Neil (Terminator: Dark Fate) will star as Annie Carbey, a career criminal who also goes by Bonfire. As her chosen name implies, Bonfire has the ability to manipulate flames. Regardless, this doesn’t necessarily mean that she’ll use her power in a cruel fashion.
The Touched will also come into conflict with members of law enforcement. Ben Chaplin, whose film appearances include The Thin Red Line and Snowden, will portray Frank Mundi, a detective prone to bouts of violence and drunkenness. Pip Torrens (Preacher) will star as Lord Massen, a man described as “a staunch, unflappable and merciless in his defense of the British Empire.”
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Additionally, Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead) is playing Declan Orrun, a.k.a. The Beggar King. He’s someone with his finger on the pulse of the city’s criminal underworld. He will work with Doctor Horatio Cousens (Camping’s Zackary Momoh), a West Indian physician who also lends aid to Amalia’s group. As it turns out, he has a special ability of his own. Denis O’Hare (Big Little Lies) will play another medical professional, Dr. Edmund Hague. He’s described as being cold and brutal, “all in the name of progress.”
Finally, Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark) has been cast as Mary Brighton. She’s a character who has fallen on hard times since her singing career took a hit and her engagement was broken off. But apparently, she will find another way to be “great.” We’ll just have to wait for The Nevers to premiere on HBO to find out what that is.
What do you make of these latest casting announcements for Joss Whedon’s The Nevers? Tell us what you think in the comment section below!
Recommended Viewing: Dollhouse The Complete Series Blu-ray
