Taika Waititi has starred as a child’s imaginary version of Hitler. And he’s played a blood-sucking vampire. But he’s not done playing infamous mass murderers for laughs just yet. The Thor: Ragnarok director will hit the seven seas as the legendary pirate Blackbeard in the new HBO Max comedy series Our Flag Means Death.
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Variety reports Waititi will be headlining the streaming site’s new comedy. He will star as the legendary pirate in the upcoming period series from HBO Max. Last September HBO Max announced it had ordered the show from series creator and showrunner David Jenkins (People of Earth). At the time the site also announced Waititi as an executive producer and director. This additional role isn’t totally surprising, though. And it definitely sounds like a winning move. Waititi has had incredible success directing himself before, including in What We Do in the Shadows and the Oscar-winning Jojo Rabbit.
HBO Max says Our Flag Means Death “is loosely based on the true adventures” of Stede Bonnet. He was “a pampered aristocrat who abandoned his life of privilege to become a pirate.”
The series will also serve as a mini Flight of the Conchords reunion for the network. Rhys Darbys, who starred Murray on the show, and who also played as a werewolf in Waititi’s vampire mockumentary, will also star on the series.
“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 previous statement. “David and Taika’s unique take on Bonnet’s rollicking misadventures on the high seas, are sure to thrill and delight audiences everywhere.”
Jenkins told Variety Waititi is “the only man” who could play Blackbeard. Who he calls “a legend, a lover, a fighter, a tactical genius, a poetic soul, and quite possibly insane.”
Sounds perfect for someone whose can make mass murderers funny.