Rosario Dawson enters the DMZ in HBO Max’s latest dystopian drama
Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli's acclaimed comic series is coming to HBO Max
The world keeps ending. And judging by some upcoming TV lineup, the end won’t stop anytime soon. Adding to a dystopian slate that includes another Walking Dead spin-off, Station 11, and the forthcoming Last Of Us series, HBO Max brings Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli’s acclaimed comic series, DMZ, to television. And wouldn’t you know it? Despite the lack of infrastructure at the end of the world, HBO has already released a trailer.
In addition to trailers, Rosario Dawson also exists in this bleak near-future. Here, Dawson stars as a New York City medic named Alma, who lost her son during the Second Civil War, which turned Manhattan into a demilitarized zone (DMZ). Now, she must make her way through the lawless DMZ to get him back.
Benjamin Bratt stars alongside Dawson, and he looks like he’s getting into some Cyrus from The Warriors territory, which, yes, we’ll take about as much of that as we can get. Joining Bratt is a supporting cast that includes Hoon Lee, Venus Ariel, and Jordan Preston Carter.
Billed as a four-part limited series (which doesn’t mean all that much at HBO these days), DMZ has quite the pedigree, with some big names behind the scenes. Academy Award-nominee Ava Duvernay directed the pilot, while master cinematographer and prolific TV director Ernest Dickerson helmed the rest. In addition, Westworld alum and Emmy nominee Roberto Patino wrote all four episodes. Only time will tell if his ability to write about apocalyptic theme parks carries over to other dystopias.
Much like another Vertigo comic, a TV adaptation of DMZ has long-eluded producers. In 2014, Mad Men executive producers Andre and Maria Jacquemetton and Gravity producer David Heymer brought a version to SyFy that never materialized.
The entirety of DMZ premieres on March 17 on HBO Max.