Following competition from various sources, including Netflix, HBO has landed Joss Whedon’s science fiction drama The Nevers. According to Variety, the sci-fi epic follows a group of Victorian women with unusual abilities who find themselves tasked with persistent enemies and a mission that could change the world as we know it. 

“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,” said HBO Programming President Casey Bloys. “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. We’re honored that Joss chose HBO as the place to build his ambitious new world and we are excited to get started.”

“I honestly couldn’t be more excited. The Nevers is maybe the most ambitious narrative I’ve created, and I can’t imagine a better home for it than HBO,” Whedon, who will serve as writer, director, executive producer, and showrunner, said. “Not only are they the masters of cinematic long-form, 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. I could go on, but — I’m impatiently grateful to say ‒ I have work to do.”

Currently, Whedon is also serving as executive producer on Freeform’s half-hour comedy series, Pippa Smith: Grown-Up Detective.