The Nevers Star Upset Over Joss Whedon Leaving

Actress Laura Donnelly was upset when she learned that Joss Whedon had stepped down as showrunner from the new series, The Nevers, last fall. The Nevers is an HBO original sci-fi Victorian drama about a group of women who, after an otherworldly event occurs, receive superhuman abilities that put them all in danger. Two of these women, Amalia True (Laura Donnelly) and Penance Adair (Ann Skelly), try to save everyone who received these abilities and bring them into their orphanage. The show is set to be released early next month.

The Nevers was greenlit back in 2018 with Whedon set to write, direct, executive produce, and helm the series as its showrunner.  However, he only ended up working on the first 6 episodes. Last year, the show had to shut down production due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Filming resumed in September but in November, Whedon announced that he was stepping down from the series. HBO decided to carry on the show without him and hired Philippa Goslett to replace him as the showrunner.

When Whedon stepped down from the show, he released a statement claiming that the work was too taxing for him given the global coronavirus pandemic. He also noted that the show had affected his energy levels. In an interview with The Wrap, Donnelly spoke out on her feelings about Whedon stepping down. Read what she had to say below:

I found out the same way that everybody else did — well, HBO let us know. And I was gutted, because I had a wonderful experience working with him… I was really gutted about that. But, at the same time, he left for personal reasons and I can’t argue with that.

Donnelly admitting that she had a good experience with Whedon comes as a bit of a surprise. Over the past year, Whedon has been hit with constant allegations concerning his negative behavior on previous projects. In July of 2020, Ray Fisher, who played Cyborg in Justice League, accused Whedon on social media of unacceptable behavior and claims he was the target of racial abuse while on the set of the film. This spawned a lengthy third-party investigation on behalf of Warner Bros. into these allegations. Then in January 2021, Buffy the Vampire Slayer actress Charisma Carpenter accused Whedon of creating a hostile environment while filming the show.

It is great that Donnelly managed to have a good experience with Whedon while on the set of The Nevers. HBO Max chief content officer, Casey Bloys, also confirmed previously that there were never any complaints made against Whedon during the production of the show. However, these recent allegations of misconduct made by Carpenter and Fisher put his character into question. As of now, Whedon currently has no upcoming projects in the works.

Source: The Wrap