HBO Max Orders New J.J. Abrams Series, Lost's Josh Holloway to Star

HBO Max has given a series order to Duster from J.J. Abrams, LaToya Morgan, and Warner Bros. Television. The drama series is set in 1972 and tells the story of Nina (Love, Victor's Rachel Hilson), the first Black female FBI agent, who heads to the Southwest and recruits Jim (Lost's Josh Holloway), a gutsy getaway driver, in a bold effort to take down a growing crime syndicate. Originally announced as being in development at the streamer in 2020, the project is part of Abrams and Bad Robot's overall five-year mega-deal with Warner Bros. Discovery (formerly WarnerMedia) and WBTV.

Additional cast members include Keith David (Greenleaf), Greg Grunberg (Heroes), Camille Guaty (The Rookie), Sydney Elisabeth (The Last O.G.), Asivak Koostachin (Cardinal), Benjamin Charles Watson (Designated Survivor), and newcomer Adriana Aluna Martinez.

"We are delighted to bring this high-voltage crime caper from the brilliant minds of J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan to the HBO Max audience," Sarah Aubrey, Head of Original Content, HBO Max, said in a statement. "This show has all the elements of a great Max Original, with propulsive storytelling, fantastic characters, and some truly bad-ass car chases."

Abrams added he and Morgan are "thrilled at the chance to bring the wild, wily and wacky world of Duster to life, especially with this exceptional cast, crew and network." Said Morgan, "Duster is an amalgam of all my favorite things — high octane storytelling with deep characters and so much heart. It's a dream project and I'm supremely grateful to all the folks at Warner Bros. and HBO Max for believing in this show. And I couldn't have asked for a better partner in crime than J.J. to build this incredible world."

The first two of eight episodes are written by Abrams (Alias, Lost) and Morgan (The Walking Dead, TURN: Washington's Spies) and directed by Steph Green (HBO's Watchmen, Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett). Produced by Warner Bros. Television (Peacemaker, The Sandman), Duster is executive produced by Abrams and Rachel Rusch Rich for Bad Robot, with Morgan serving as executive producer for TinkerToy Productions via its overall deal with WBTV.

HBO Max's series order of Duster comes after news that the streamer scrapped plans for Abrams' adaptation of DC's Justice League Dark and The Shining offshoot Overlook that were in the works since 2020. Duster will stream on HBO Max, but a release date is TBA.