Showrunner Roberto Patino says there are plenty of stories for a DMZ season 2 in the future. DMZ is a dystopian television miniseries streaming on HBO Max based on the Vertigo comic book series of the same name. Created by Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli, the DMZ comics are set in a desolate Manhattan which has become a demilitarized zone (or DMZ) during the Second American Civil War. All four episodes of DMZ premiered on HBO Max on March 17.
Although Patino took inspiration from the comic book series, DMZ tells an original story set in Brook and Burchielli's world. Rosario Dawson stars as Alma "Zee" Ortega, a medic who enters the DMZ eight years ago to find her son and instead becomes a symbol of hope to Manhattan's people. The miniseries also stars Benjamin Bratt as Parco Delgado, Zee's ex and the leader of the Spanish Harlem Kings, Freddy Miyares as Skel, Parco's assassin, Hoon Lee as Wilson Lin, the leader of Chinatown who knew Zee before the war, and Jordan Preston Carter as Odi, an orphaned kid who befriends Zee. Ava Duvernay (When They See Us) and Ernest Dickinson (The Wire) serve as the miniseries' directors.
In a recent interview, Roberto Patino shared his thoughts on DMZ's story and on whether it could lead to a DMZ season 2. Patino told Bleeding Cool that there is absolutely a chance for future seasons set in the DMZ. The miniseries' showrunner explained that because the comics' world is so large there are plenty of incredible characters to explore and that the miniseries format is perfect for exploring them. Read Patino's full thoughts on future seasons below:
"There's absolutely room for expansion. I had conversations in passing about [how] the DMZ is a huge world. It's a world that's predicated on either self-reclamation or reinvention itself, which means that it's full of incredible characters. I think, in any case, the limited series is sort of four-hour movie experience is the right format for any of these other stories and I have plenty of stories to tell about the DMZ. The answer is 'absolutely.' There's the good fortune to continue to live in the DMZ."
Although the HBO Max miniseries does not literally adapt the comics' storylines, DMZ still holds true to the comic series's themes that inspired it. This is nowhere more true than in Zee's characterization. In the comics, Zee is the protagonist Matthew Roth's love interest and moral compass, but while Patino's adaptation omits Matthew and expands Zee's story, she remains the moral heart of the DMZ. Based on his interview response, Patino could potentially give other characters the same treatment he gave Zee for any future seasons. DMZ could explore different characters' stories and their roles within Manhattan's tenuous community.
While Patino teasing future seasons shows the showrunner's desire to continue the series, there has been no official word from either Patino or HBO on DMZ season 2. Patino's words seem to be a positive indicator for the show continuing, but with mixed reviews and its marketing as a miniseries, its status is still up in the air. Still, HBO Max has yet to cancel DMZ, so fans can remain hopeful that Patino gets his chance to continue the series.
Source: Bleeding Cool