Max is coming up fast with its new series DUSTER. In fact, it is slated to begin its run on Thursday, May 15th. Here are some details and new imagery of the show starring Josh Holloway of Lost fame.
The Max Original drama series DUSTER, from Emmy-winner J.J. Abrams and showrunner LaToya Morgan (Turn: Washington Spies), debuts THURSDAY, MAY 15 at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT on Max. Produced in association with Warner Bros. Television, the eight-episode season will debut new episodes weekly through the finale on July 3.
It stars Josh Holloway (pictured), Rachel Hilson
pictured), Keith David, Sydney Elisabeth, Greg Grunberg, Camille Guaty, Asivak Koostachin, Adriana Aluna Martinez, and Benjamin Charles Watson. The first two episodes are written by J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan and the first two episodes are directed by and executive produced by Steph Green. The series is executive produced by J.J. Abrams and Rachel Rusch Rich for Bad Robot; and executive produced by LaToya Morgan for TinkerToy Productions. It is produced in association with Warner Bros. Television.
It has been a few years since J.J.Abrams has put his pen to crafting anything and has joined with LaToya Morgan to generate this retro crime story. Set in the 1970s Southwest, the show explores the life of a gutsy getaway driver for a growing crime syndicate that goes from dangerous to wildly, stupidly dangerous when a tenacious young agent comes into town hellbent on taking his crime family down.
Set in 1972, the series follows the first Black female FBI agent (Hilson) as she heads to the Southwest and recruits a gangster getaway driver (Holloway) in a bold effort to take down a growing crime syndicate (led by Keith David). Both Abrams and Morgan chatted with The Hollywood Reporter to give us more details. Here are highlights –
THR: …What personally excited you about this idea?
ABRAMS: I had this image of a phone in the middle of the desert and a car driving up, and a guy getting on the phone to find out where he was meant to go next. It implied some kind of crazy intrigue, and I didn’t know what the answer was, but I knew it was compelling. LaToya and I started talking about who this guy might be, and I always knew there would be an FBI agent who showed up. But it wasn’t until we started talking about what her story is, that we started building this story towards something that felt twisty and turn-y and ultimately really satisfying. That became the goal: How do we tell a crazy story that actually ends up being driven towards one point and where we’re actually headed towards something that feels inevitable? Where we would have the vibe of it, the spirit of it, the sense of humor and the sense of absurdity?
MORGAN: The thing that was most exciting for me was that we could do something that was a throwback to things that are not really on television anymore. You could have this fun pastiche of action and humor. It was really a chance to jump into something with both feet.
THR: In terms of your leads, what made Rachel Hilson right for this role?
MORGAN: She blew us away in her audition. She’s done some really great work on Love, Victor and shows like that, but this was an opportunity for us to see her stretch. It’s a really challenging role. She’s pushing Josh’s character to the edge. So we wanted someone with toughness and intelligence, but also that beautiful vulnerability that she presents in the role. She was really a revelation.
ABRAMS: Josh is such a strong actor and has such energy and personality on screen, that we knew we needed someone who could hold the screen with him and really push him. Rachel hadn’t really played anything like this before and this was a chance for her to step into a role that she could totally command.
THR: Josh obviously has a long legacy with J.J. How did he react when he got this call? And how has he changed as an actor over the years? I mean, he somehow still looks the same, which is annoying.
ABRAMS: I called him five years ago to say, “Would you ever want to do a show where you play a driver for some kind of criminal organization?” And he’s like, “Yeah.” So the whole time we were writing this, it was always with Josh in mind. He’s someone I just love working with. And with age, I think he’s gotten even more comfortable with his wry swagger and toughness, and also vulnerability and being unsure of himself. It’s a tough balancing act. He’s a great-looking guy, but he’s genuinely funny and big hearted and he brings that to the character.
THR: What was it about this time period that was appealing?
MORGAN: There was the fun in the obsolescence of things. I love CB radios and car culture and car chases and the music of the time. We wanted to lean into all those things. And there’s a thriller aspect to this show. There’s a mystery at the heart of it. There are mysteries that I won’t spoil. It’s a chance to do a combination of those things and set it in a time period that a lot of people are familiar with, and, for the folks that aren’t, it’s a chance to introduce them to the fun of that time.
THR:…this appears to be a pretty straightforward story for the most part, or am I making a wrong assumption on that front?
ABRAMS: It isn’t straightforward. There are a lot of things that you don’t expect. What I love about the show, and what I think LaToya and I had the most fun with, is you never quite know, when you open a door, what kind of unexpected criminal mind is going to be behind it. The most satisfying thing for me was seeing how so many these elements — some of which seem crazy and out there — end up actually serving a real narrative purpose. Also, every episode feels like it’s ending on a fun cliffhanger vibe that you get from serialized comics.
How about it? We know, you either love or hate J.J. Abrams, there seems to be no middle ground there. But how about Josh Holloway? Set a reminder for May 10 and get into DUSTER!
