Before she gets behind the camera for Warner Bros.’ New Gods, Ava DuVernay will tackle another—arguably more intriguing—comic book adaptation: DMZ. The news comes from Variety, which reports that DuVernay has signed on to direct the pilot of the series for HBO Max, with production beginning early next year. Based on the series of comics by Brian Wood, DMZ is set in a not-too-distant future where a new Civil War has ravaged America (not at all timely, nope, not in the slightest) and rendered Manhattan a demilitarized zone—or DMZ, for short. Robert Patino, whose credits include Westworld and Sons Of Anarchy, serves as showrunner and executive producer on the potential series.
DMZ will focus on a female medic searching for her lost son amidst the chaos of the new American Civil War, while dealing with the various gangs and militias that have emerged in a country no longer regulated by government bodies and law enforcement. This description is fairly different from Wood’s comics, which follow an aspiring male photojournalist named Matty Roth. That Patino’s series focuses on a female character is an interesting development that offers existing DMZ fans a new story in a familiar world. And—it should go without saying—DuVernay’s involvement ensures a certain level of quality. Another point for HBO Max in these senseless streaming wars, which will surely lead to a very different kind of dystopia.