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Not long after the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film sailed its way into theaters, there emerged a question as to whether or not the call of the open sea and the promise of endless swashbuckling still held the tantalizing allure that they once did.
Now, thanks to Starz and producer Michael Bay, the premium cable network’s Black Sails hopes to answer that question with a resounding “Yes!”
Though it’s not scheduled to officially set sail until 2014, Starz just released a look at their upcoming pirate series to hopefully set it apart from NBC’s upcoming effort Crossbones, starring John Malkovich – and, possibly, to remind audiences that despite the fact that Spartacus recently came to an end, there are still plenty of like-minded programs in the works.
Read the official Black Sails summary below:
“The eight-episode first season of the pirate adventure centers on the tales of Captain Flint and his men, and takes place twenty years prior to Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic Treasure Island. Toby Stephens (Die Another Day) stars as Flint, the most brilliant and most feared pirate captain of his day, takes on a fast-talking young addition to his crew who goes by the name John Silver. Threatened with extinction on all sides, they fight for the survival of New Providence Island, the most notorious criminal haven of its day – a debauched paradise teeming with pirates, prostitutes, thieves and fortune seekers, a place defined by both its enlightened ideals and its stunning brutality.”
There’s loads of action (of all kinds) on display, in what amounts to a rather broad trailer that may not offer much in terms of specifics, but seems to have its sights set on attracting some of the Game of Thrones demographic. Furthering that notion is the fact that filmmaker Neil Marshall (The Descent) is onboard to direct the pilot. Marshall, as many of you may remember, was in the director’s chair for ‘Blackwater,’ the action-packed penultimate episode of Game of Thrones season 2.
Speaking of action-oriented directors, Black Sails will mark blockbuster filmmaker Michael Bay’s first real foray into the television arena. Bay will serve as executive producer on the series alongside the series’ showrunner Jon Steinberg (Jericho, Human Target), and co-executive producer Robert Levine (Touch).
Starz had a strong debut with David S. Goyer’s Da Vinci’s Demons on the heels of the Spartacus series finale. That, along with this first look at Black Sails, is certainly a good indication of where the network’s original series seem to be headed.
Black Sails is set to premiere on Starz in 2014