Ava DuVernay is in the DC Comics property business as she’s working on her second property for the comic publisher. DuVernay and HBO are adapting the second American Civil War comic DMZ. DuVernay is currently working on New Gods adapting the Jack Kirby DC Comics creations. HBO and DC Comics have the same parent company, AT&T.

DMZ was published by the DC imprint Vertigo and followed a young man as he navigated the maze that is the DMZ of Manhattan which separates the split American nation of the former federal government and Free States. Wood worked on the series with co-creator and artist Riccardo Burchielli and it was released from 2005 to 2012. John Paul Leon also provided art on the series, lettered by Jared K. Fletcher, and colored by Jeromy Cox.

DMZ‘s creator Brian Wood is not without issues. The comic creator has been accused of harassment by multiple women which resulted in publisher Dark Horse canceling their current and future projects with the creator.

The television series focuses on a female medic on the island who tries to keep the residents alive while also trying to find her lost son.

This is the second series that HBO has produced based around a civil war. Confederate was a planned series that was developed for the channel by David Benioff and D. B. Wess. The concept was the American Civil War ending in a stalemate and some described it as “slavery fan fiction.” That project was scrapped due to public reaction.

DMZ too is a stalemate civil war story, without the slavery, which indicates HBO is looking for this narrative to play to a certain demographic.

Production of DMZ is set to begin in early 2020.