The upcoming adaptation of the Vertigo comic DMZ has added Rosario Dawson to the cast, according to Deadline. The pilot for HBO Max will be helmed by Ava DuVernay, with Roberto Patino serving as the series’ showrunner and writer. This marks only the latest comic book project for Dawson, who has a long history in such adaptations, having starred in Sin City and its sequel Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, Netflix’s Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Defenders series, while also having voiced Barbara Gordon/Batgirl in The LEGO Batman Movie. DuVernay is also currently developing an adaptation of New Gods for DC.
The outlet details that the series “takes place in the near future where America is embroiled in a bitter civil war, leaving Manhattan a demilitarized zone (DMZ – hence the title of the series), destroyed and isolated from the rest of the world.” Dawson is set to play Alma Ortego, “who goes on a harrowing journey of saving lives while desperately searching for her lost son. As she contends with the gangs, militias, demagogues, and warlords that control this lawless no man’s land, she becomes the unlikely source of what everyone here has lost…hope.”
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The Vertigo series from Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli ran for 72 issues from 2005 through 2012. DMZ was one of Vertigo’s more prominent titles in the 2000s, though that publishing branch, which delivered readers more mature content than DC fare, has been shuttered by its parent company.
“DMZ is a special project to me as it marks a key collaboration with my company Array Filmworks, the excellent team at Warner Bros TV and the dynamo Roberto Patino,” DuVernay shared with Deadline when the project was announced. “We’ve all worked diligently on this material, and I’ve witnessed Roberto in action. He’s insanely talented and cares about telling stories with maximum impact and imagination. I’m eager to share this one with DC fans.”
Despite the talent attached to the project, the development of a pilot doesn’t ensure that the series will be picked up by the network for a full series order. HBO previously filmed a Game of Thrones spinoff and, despite the excitement around the franchise, opted not to order it to series.
Stay tuned for details on DMZ. HBO Max is set to launch in May.
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