The life of a pirate isn’t for everyone, but that’s not something that Stede Bonnet is willing to accept in HBO Max‘s new original comedy series Our Flag Means Death. In the first trailer for the show, Rhys Darby steps into the role of Stede, who was a real person in the 18th century. Stede wasn’t satisfied with the life of a gentleman, so he decided to become a pirate. The biggest problem is Stede has no idea how to be a good pirate, and he still clings to certain aspects of his former life.
Taika Waititi co-headlines the series as Captain Blackbeard, and the trailer also shows Blackbeard’s introduction to Stede. Historically, the two men did have a short friendship, which led to Blackbeard taking over Stede’s ship with his blessing. That appears to be the case here as well, but it remains to be seen if their partnership will work out better on the show than it did in reality.
Kristian Nairn also co-stars in the series as Wee John Feeney, with Nathan Foad as Lucius, Samson Kayo as Oluwande, Rory Kinnear as Capt. Nigel Badminton and Chauncey Badminton, Con O’Neill as Izzy, Vico Ortiz as Bonifacia, Ewen Bremner as Buttons, David Fane as Fang. Joel Fry as Frenchie, Guz Khan as Ivan, and Matthew Maher as Black Pete. The trailer also reveals that Leslie Jones, Fred Armisen, Kristen Schaal, and Nick Kroll will be making guest appearances.
Our Flag Means Death was created by David Jenkins, who is also an executive producer alongside Waititi, Garrett Basch, and Dan Halsted. Waititi directed the pilot episode, which will premiere on HBO Max on March 3.
