DMZ TV show: release date and everything else we know

Rosario Dawson wearing a knit cap in a mass of people in DMZ

Rosario Dawson in DMZ (Image credit: Eli Joshua Adé/HBO MAX)

The popular comic book series DMZ from DC is coming to HBO Max this March as a limited series. The TV adaptation DMZ will star Rosario Dawson and has its first episode directed by Ava DuVernay, also serving as a producer on the show.

DMZ is a comic book series that debuted in 2005 and was written by Brian Wood and featured artwork from Wood and Ricardo Buchielli. Robert Patino (Sons of Anarchy, Westworld) wrote the series and is a producer.

Here is everything you need to know about DMZ.

When is the DMZ release date?

DMZ will premiere on HBO Max on March 17. All four episodes of the limited series are being made available at launch.

DMZ will play exclusively on HBO Max starting March 17 wherever the service is available. When the show may become available outside of where HBO Max (including the UK), is still TBD.

What is the DMZ plot?

DMZ takes place in a futuristic American where civil war has broken out. Manhattan has become a demilitarized zone. Among this dangerous and distorted landscape, one woman attempts to find her lost son.

This setup is actually different from what comic book readers will be familiar with. The original graphic novel DMZ focused on a journalist, Matty Roth. While there were issues that focused on individual stories, Roth was the througline as readers got to explore the machinations and impact of this future America.

Robert Patino spoke to SyFy about the changes that he made to the DMZ story in his adaptation.

Who is in the DMZ cast?

Rosario Dawson and Benjamin Bratt staring at each other in DMZ — Rosario Dawson and Benjamin Bratt in DMZ (Image credit: Eli Joshua Adé/HBO MAX)

Rosario Dawson leads the DMZ cast as Alma, the mother who braves the danger of this new Manhattan in search of her son. Dawson is probably best known right now for playing the live-action version of popular Star Wars character Ahsoka Tano in The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett and soon enough her own show, Ahsoka. Dawson has also recently been seen in shows like Dopesick and has past credits that include Marvel’s The Defenders shows, Rent and more.

Other members of the DMZ cast include Benjamin Bratt (Law & Order, Miss Congeniality) as Parco Delgado, Hoon Lee (Banshee, Bosch) as Wilson, Freddy Miyares (When They See Us) as Skel, Jordan Preston Carter (Shaft) as Odi Peerlis and Venus Ariel (NCIS: New Orleans) as Nico.

Rutina Wesley, Nora Dunn, Jade Wu, Rey Gallegos, Mamie Gummer, Agam Darshi, Juani Feliz and Henry G. Sanders are listed as guest stars for the limited series.

Mamie Gummer next to Rosario Dawson in DMZ — Mamie Gummer and Rosario Dawson in DMZ (Image credit: Eli Joshua Adé/HBO MAX)

DMZ trailer

Check out the scale of DMZ with the trailer for the series right here.

How to watch DMZ

When DMZ premieres on March 17, it will exclusively be available on HBO Max. That of course means that you will need to be an HBO Max subscriber to watch.

The good news is that there are a few options for signing up to HBO Max. A standalone service is available with both an ad-supported and ad-free plan. HBO Max can also be an add-on to other streaming services like Hulu or YouTube TV.

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.