HBO Max has ordered DMZ, a DC Comics adaptation from executive producers Ava DuVernay and Roberto Patino, as a four-part limited series. Patino wrote the pilot episode, which was directed by DuVernay, and will script the remainder of the series and serve as showrunner. Rosario Dawson and Benjamin Bratt lead the cast of the futuristic drama set in the midst of a second American Civil War, which currently doesn’t seem too far-fetched if I’m being totally honest. In addition to Dawson and Bratt, DMZ will also star Hoon Lee (BansheeWarrior), Freddy Miyares (When They See Us, The L Word: Generation Q) and Jordan Preston Carter (The Haves and the Have Nots).

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to bring this epic to the screen with my boundary-pushing partners at WBTV and HBO Max, a sublime cast led by Rosario and Benjamin, and my partner and friend, the inimitable and ever-inspiring Ava DuVernay,” said Patino. “DMZ offers up an explosive playground which, more than anything else, exalts the resilience of community and the human spirit. I can’t wait to welcome the die-hard fans of the comic books and new viewers alike to this intoxicating, haunting and inspiring world.”

DMZ's unflinching story of a country torn apart resonates eerily and profoundly amid our current state of the union,” said Sarah Aubrey, head of original content, HBO Max. “With the powerhouse visionary team of Ava and Roberto at the helm, bringing this critically acclaimed DC gem to life promises to entertain and inspire hope.”

bradford-young-ava-duvernay-selma
Image via Paramount

The original DC Comics series by Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli ran for 72 issues beginning in the mid-2000s, and was reportedly inspired by both the September 11th attacks and by the (then) new war in Iraq. Here’s the official synopsis of the limited series:

In the near future, America is embroiled in a bitter civil war, leaving Manhattan a demilitarized zone (DMZ), destroyed and isolated from the rest of the world. Leaping off the pages of the popular comic, “DMZ” chronicles the harrowing journey of fearless and fierce medic Alma Ortega (series star Rosario Dawson), who sets out on a harrowing journey to find the son she lost in the evacuation of New York City at the onset of the conflict. Throwing gasoline on the flames of that conflict is Parco Delgado (series star Benjamin Bratt), the popular — and deadly — leader of one of the most powerful gangs in the DMZ. He wants to rule this new world — and will stop at nothing to secure that outcome. In this adrenalized and expansive drama which examines a stark political and cultural divide in American society, Alma must contend with the gangs, militias, demagogues and warlords that control this lawless no man’s land. In doing so, she becomes the unlikely source of what everyone here has lost…hope.

There’s currently no release window, which makes complete sense considering most productions remain limited if not completely shut down by the pandemic, but it’s reasonable to expect the series sometime by the end of 2021 or in the first half of 2022. For more HBO Max news, click here to watch the latest trailer for Wonder Woman 1984, which comes to the streaming service Christmas Day.