Screenwriter Philippa Goslett replaces Joss Whedon as showrunner on HBO's The Nevers

Back in November, we reported that Joss Whedon had stepped down from his in-the-works HBO sci-fi series The Nevers, citing the “unprecedented challenges” of 2020 and the fact that he’s “genuinely exhausted”—though HBO’s explanation was that they had “parted ways,” a phrase that seemingly implied at least some connection to all the other reasons Joss Whedon has been in the news lately more so than him simply being worn out. Whatever the explanation, Whedon is no longer involved with The Nevers, and now The Hollywood Reporter says HBO has tapped screenwriter Philippa Goslett (writer behind Mary Magdalene and How To Talk To Girls At Parties) as the new showrunner.

The series is set in Victorian London and centers on a group of women known as the Touched who all have superpowers and fight a secret war as “the champions of this new underclass.” Laura Donnelly from Outlander and Ann Skelly from Vikings star as a “quick-fisted widow” named Amalia and a “brilliant inventor” named Penance. (This is all extremely Joss Whedon, so it’ll be interesting to see how much of his whole thing will remain in the finished product.) HBO says the show will premiere in 2021, which we will believe when we see it.