HBO Max’s upcoming series adaptation of the DC/Vertigo series DMZ has rounded out its cast. It was previously announced that Rosario Dawson was heading up the cast as “fierce medic” Alma Ortego. (If you are familiar with the comics, it appears that Alma is a new name for Zee Hernandez.) Benjamin Bratt will co-star as Parco Delgado, a powerful and charismatic gang leader.
The show is set in the future, where America has been torn apart by civil war. Manhattan is a lawless “demilitarized zone (DMZ)” overrun by gangs, militias, demagogues, and warlords. Over the course of her journey to find her son in this no man’s land, Alma “becomes the unlikely source of what everyone here has lost…hope.”
The first new cast member is Rutinal Wesley, who has starred for five seasons on OWN’s Queen Sugar. That series has already been renewed for a sixth season. She may also be recognized for playing Tara Thornton on True Blood and she recurred as Reba on Hannibal.
On DMZ, Wesley will play Athena, an operative for the separatist Free States of America.
The other new cast members are Rey Gallegos (Animal Kingdom), Mamie Gummer (True Detective), Agam Darshi (Funny Boy), Nora Dunn (The Big Leap), Jade Wu (Luke Cage), Juani Feliz (Harlem), Venus Ariel (NCIS: New Orleans), and Henry G. Sanders (Queen Sugar).
Ariel is a series regular, and will portray Nico, “a foul-mouthed, mischievous scavenger.”
Wu’s character, Susie, is “a former revolutionary.” Dunn portrays Oona, “a nearly-mythical figure who oversees an all-female commune and controls the most valuable asset in the DMZ – its water supply.”
Gallegos plays Cesar, “a devoted consigliere who will stop at nothing to secure his gang’s standing in the DMZ.” Gummer portrays Rose, “a medic who tirelessly cares for the ill and injured residents of the zone.” Darshi will portray Franklin, “one of the only smugglers who can get people in or out of the DMZ.” Feliz plays the “fiery” Carmen, “the fearless partner to the biggest baddie in the DMZ.” Finally, Sanders plays Cedric, “a straight-shooter who only cares about protecting his grandson.”
Westworld’s Roberto Patino is writing, executive producing, and will act as showrunner. Ava DuVernay will also executive produce and direct the pilot. DMZ will be produced by DuVernay’s Array Filmworks in association with Warner Bros. Television. The pilot was shot last year and the rest of the series is currently in production. No word yet on when it will arrive on HBO Max.
The DMZ comic book was created by writer Brian Wood and artist Riccardo Burchielli. It ran for 72 issues from 2005-2012.
