Taika Waititi to Play ‘Demented Pirate’ Blackbeard in New Series for HBO Max
It’s a pirate’s life for Taika Waititi.
The talented director and star, who played Hitler in Jojo Rabbit and a vampire in What We Do in the Shadows, will now be taking to the high seas, headlining and producing Our Flag Means Death, the story of an aristocrat turned pirate for HBO Max.
The Thor: Ragnarok director/actor has taken the role of the dread pirate Blackbeard in Our Flag Means Death. The story is loosely based on the true adventures of Stede Bonnet, “a pampered aristocrat who abandoned his life of privilege to become a pirate.”
Waititi won an Academy Award for best original screenplay for Jojo Rabbit, which was also nominated for best picture in 2019.
The series will serve as a reunion with Flight of the Conchords and What We Do In the Shadows actor Rhys Darby, who starred Murray on Conchords and a werewolf in Waititi’s vampire mockumentary. Darby will play Stede Bonnet.
“Our Blackbeard is a legend, a lover, a fighter, a tactical genius, a poetic soul, and quite possibly insane,” says showrunner David Jenkins (People of Earth). “Only one man could play this role, and that is the great Taika Waititi. We’re thrilled beyond measure he’s decided to don the beard.”
The project is a limited series; and isn’t a drama but a half-hour comedy that will span six episodes and Waititi will also direct the pilot. Jenkins, Garrett Basch and Dan Halsted also executive produce.
“A series concept like this jumps off the page and you can instantly envision every moment,” said Sarah Aubrey, head of original content at HBO Max, in a statement made when the show was announced last year. “David and Taika’s unique take on Bonnet’s rollicking misadventures on the high seas, are sure to thrill and delight audiences everywhere.”
Waititi is currently directing Marvel’s Thor: Love and Thunder, scheduled to be released in 2022. His previous forays into television include FX’s cult favorite What We Do in the Shadows, the TV show based on the movie where he is an executive producer and writer, and directing three episodes of The Mandalorian for Disney+.
