Lost fans will undoubtedly be ecstatic over a key cast member’s long-awaited screen reunion with JJ Abrams.
Josh Holloway was a fan-favourite star of the hit ABC drama when it aired from 2004 to 2010, winning legions of fans as the con man, James “Sawyer” Ford.
After starting out as an unlikeable antihero of sorts, the character embedded his way into the hearts of viewers, with Holloway’s performance regularly hailed as one of the best in Lost’s six-year history.
The actor, 55, has starred in a handful of credits since Lost drew to its divisive end, with roles in TV shows such as Colony and Yellowstone. He also starred in the 2011 Mission: Impossible film, Ghost Protocol.
But Holloway’s new project is particularly exciting for Lost fans as it sees him reunite with the show’s co-creator JJ Abrams.
HBO series Duster, which was first announced in 2020, is a 1970s-set crime drama following the FBI’s first Black woman agent (Rachel Hilsin) who teams up with Holloway’s getaway driver to take down a crime syndicate.
The show’s journey to screen has been arduous. The pilot was shot in 2021 and reshot two years later before production was stalled due to the Writers Guild of America strikes in Hollywood.
“It was quite a journey – life does that to you sometimes,” Holloway told Variety of the show’s delay. “Our perseverance comes through in the show. Usually with regime changes, they clean the slate a lot. I was proud every time we survived, because it meant they knew they had something good.”
Holloway also said that it was an immediate “yes” when Abrams asked him about starring in the series: “Are you kidding me? He called me up and asked if I had a minute, and the answer is ‘yes’. Always ‘yes’. Whatever he is asking. It was just so exciting to talk to him.”
Abrams worked on the series with LaToya Morgan, who directed several episodes of the sci-fi martial arts show Into the Badlands.
“She brings this coolness to the table, and a different perspective than JJ ,” Holloway said, adding: “Their combination is fantastic.
“They are so agile but not rigid, it moves the show forward in a way that is subtle but poignant, where the audience can really take it in and don’t even know exactly what happened.”
Duster begins in the US on Max on 15 May. A UK release date is yet to be announced.
