Filmmaker JJ Abrams’ company Bad Robot signed a deal with (at the time yet-to-be-launched) HBO Max in 2019. Three shows from this deal- “Overlook,” “Justice League Dark,” and “Duster“- were announced in 2020. Just this week, it was confirmed all but “Duster” have been scrapped.
Little was known for sure about the “Justice League Dark” series, aside from speculation of the characters possibly portrayed in live-action (Zatanna, another John Constatine, etc.). “Overlook” was an offshoot of Stephen King’s “The Shining,” focusing mainly on the story of the Overlook Hotel. Bad Robot has shopped “Overlook” to other possible buyers. But there is no telling if, or when, we may see the results of that.
While no official reason has been given for the cancellations, we’re going to assume it’s a mix of production problems from Covid, and HBO Max’s scorched earth campaign on content. Since the nine-figure film and TV deal between Abrams and HBO Max was made BEFORE the Warner Discovery merger. The new company scrambled to cut $3 billion from their budget, causing them to jettison a lot of completed (or almost completed) projects. Most notably, the “Batgirl” movie.
The “Duster” series will come to fruition. Set in the southwest in 1972, it will follow the first Black female FBI agent (Rachel Hilson). She recruits a daring getaway driver (Josh Holloway) to help take down a growing crime syndicate. The cast also includes Keith David, Sydney Elisabeth, Greg Grunberg, Camille Guaty, Asivak Koostachin, Adriana Aluna Martinez, and Benjamin Charles Watson. It’s produced by Abrams, LaToya Morgan, and Bad Robot’s Rachel Rusch Rich.
“Duster is an amalgam of all my favorite things — high octane storytelling with deep characters and so much heart,” Morgan said. “It’s a dream project and I’m supremely grateful to all the folks at Warner Bros. and HBO Max for believing in this show. And I couldn’t have asked for a better partner in crime than J.J. to build this incredible world.”
“LaToya and I are thrilled at the chance to bring the wild, wily and wacky world of Duster to life, especially with this exceptional cast, crew and network,” added Abrams. The first season of “Duster” will be eight episodes. The first two being written by Abrams and Morgan with Steph Green directing and executive producing.
No release date is known yet, but we’ll let you know what we hear about this and other news.
