HBO’s upcoming sci-fi drama series The Nevers from Joss Whedon as added 12 actors to its cast, TheWrap has confirmed. The new additions include Olivia Williams (Counterpart), James Norton (McMafia), Tom Riley (Dark Heart), Ann Skelly (Death and Nightingales), Ben Chaplin (The Thin Red Line), Pip Torrens (The Crown), Zackary Momoh (Seven Seconds), Amy Manson (Torchwood), Nick Frost (Fighting with My Family), Rochelle Neil (Terminator: Dark Fate), Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark), and Denis O’Hare (Big Little Lies).
RELATED: Outlander’s Laura Donnelly Set to Lead Joss Whedon’s The Nevers
The stars join the previously announced Laura Donnelly, who will play Amalia True. The series follows a gang of Victorian women who find themselves with unusual abilities, relentless enemies, and a mission that might change the world.
Williams will play Lavinia Bidlow, a wealthy spinster and champion of the “Touched,” who 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 will play Hugo Swann, 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 is fascinated by the Touched.
Tom Riley 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 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 will play Detective Frank Mundi, a big, gruff, and deeply moral man who 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 laws of the land, and newly empowered, who ignore the laws of physics.
Pip Torrens will play Lord Massen, who is 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 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 will play Maladie, who is committed by her husband (and genuinely unstable), and has 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 will play Declan Orrun, aka The Beggar King, who is 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 will play Annie Carbey, aka Bonfire. Annie is 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 will play Mary Brighton, a gentle but surprisingly resilient woman who 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 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!
RELATED: Ballers Season 5 Teaser: It’s Not Where You Start, It’s Where You Finish
Whedon will serve as executive producer, showrunner, writer, and director on the series. Jane Espenson and Doug Petrie also serve as co-writers and executive producers alongside EP Bernie Caulfield.
