Taika Waititi may be one of the most in-demand filmmakers in Hollywood, but that hasn’t stopped his acting career. The Green Lantern and What We Do in the Shadows star is set to appear in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, and now he has added an upcoming HBO Max miniseries, in which he will play Blackbeard the pirate. The series, titled Our Flag Means Death, centers on an aristocrat-turned-pirate, and apparently at some point his journey, he will come upon Waititi’s “possibly insane” take on Blackbeard. Given the increasingly eccentric roles that Waititi has chosen in the acting sphere, that last bit is probably not surprising to anybody.
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According to The Hollywood Reporter, who broke the casting news, showrunner David Jenkins said that Waititi is the only person who could play it the way it was written. While the series’ hero may be someone who considers piracy a calling or a privilege, Blackbeard is already a legend in the field by the time we meet up with him.
“Our Blackbeard is a legend, a lover, a fighter, a tactical genius, a poetic soul, and quite possibly insane,” Jenkins told the trade. “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.”
Waititi, who also serves as a producer on the show, revealed back in January that he had teamed up with Jenkins, Garrett Basch, and Dan Halsted for the new series, which will star Jumanji actor Rhys Darby. Darby and Waititi previously worked together on HBO’s Flight of the Concords.
Our Flag Means Death is based loosely on the adventures of Stede Bonnet, who will be played by Darby. Bonnet is a farmer and child of wealth who goes through a bit of a mid-life crisis. He ends up running from the farm to captain a pirate ship called the Revenge.
Of course, Bonnet doesn’t know the first thing about what it means to lead a life of crime on the open seas, so the comedy of the series will likely come from those adjustments. In real history, Bonnet sailed along the Eastern United States captured other sailing vessels.
While Jenkins serves as showrunner, Waititi will executive produce the series and direct the pilot. This is a similar role to the one he has served on What We Do in the Shadows, which is based on the feature film that was written and directed by Waititi and Jemaine Clement. Jenkins will also executive produce alongside Basch and Halsted.
At this time, HBO Max has not revealed any sort of release window for Our Flag Means Death. Keep your eyes on ComicBook for updates.
