Joss Whedon Exits HBO's The Nevers, Says He Is 'Genuinely Exhausted'

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Joss Whedon fans will have to keep waiting for his return to TV: The Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator has exited the upcoming HBO sci-fi series The Nevers, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“We have parted ways with Joss Whedon,” HBO confirmed in a statement. “We remain excited about the future of The Nevers and look forward to its premiere in the summer of 2021.”

Whedon — known for creating cult favorites like Buffy, Firefly and Dollhouse — released a statement of his own as well to CinemaBlend, who first broke the story: “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. 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.”

Whedon was set to write, direct and executive-produce the drama, which earned a straight-to-series order from HBO back in July 2018, and serve as showrunner as well. Described as an “epic 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 Nevers stars Outlander‘s Laura Donnelly as reckless hero Amalia True, with Denis O’Hare (True Blood), Olivia Williams (Counterpart), Tom Riley (Da Vinci’s Demons) and Kiran Sonia Sawar (Black Mirror) heading up the supporting cast.

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