Viewers finally have their first look at DMZ, a new miniseries coming to HBO Max, based on the DC Comics series of the same name. The show’s first trailer dropped on Monday, just days before the series is set to debut on March 17.
Created by Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli, the DMZ graphic novel first hit shelves in 2005, spinning a sprawling story of an alternate New York City divided by the Second American Civil War, sparked by internal conflict over the U.S.’s post-9/11 stance of military interventionism.
In this new New York, “the rule of law is dictated by the most powerful person,” said writer Roberto Patino, “which can change from block to block.”
HBO Max’s DMZ stands to be decently different from the comic. The story of the show follows Alma (Rosario Dawson), a medic making her way through the DMZ in a desperate attempt to find her son. This diverges from the comic, which followed photo journalist Matty Roth. It’s unclear just how much of the story will remain the same with these new characters, or if it’s mostly the setting and premise that made their way from the comics to the new show.
DMZ was written by Roberto Patino (Sons of Anarchy), with the first episode directed by DuVernay.