‘Our Flag Means Death’: Taika Waititi To Play Blackbeard In Upcoming Pirate Comedy Series For HBO Max

Taika Waititi is already what Hollywood calls a “multi-hyphenate,” as a writer, director, producer, and actor. But on the new series, “Our Flag Means Death,” Waititi is going to add pirate to that list of titles.

According to Variety, Waititi has signed on to join the cast of “Our Flag Means Death” and will portray the legendary pirate, Blackbeard. Waititi has already been announced as a producer and director on the series, so when he’s already going to be on set, might as well throw him in a role, right? “Our Flag Means Death” is loosely inspired by the real-life adventures of Stede Bonnet, an aristocrat that gave up his life of wealth to become a pirate. Regular Waititi collaborator, Rhys Darby, is already cast as the lead, Bonnet. They previously worked together on “What We Do in the Shadows” and the HBO series, “Flight of the Conchords.”

“Our Blackbeard is a legend, a lover, a fighter, a tactical genius, a poetic soul, and quite possibly insane,” said series creator David Jenkins. “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.”

As mentioned, the new series hails from writer-creator David Jenkins, who is probably best known for his previous series, “People of Earth.” The show was ordered to series back in September 2020, so production will likely begin soon. And by soon, probably after Waititi gets done filming “Thor: Love and Thunder,” which is what he’s currently working on. So perhaps later this year we’ll see Waititi begin work on the HBO Max series.

Obviously, it’s far too soon to know when we might see “Our Flag Means Death” on HBO Max. However, if production begins later this year, it’s highly likely the streaming comedy series will arrive on the platform in 2022.