Instead of the skull and crossbones flag bringing terror, how about some humor? Our Flag Means Death, a new series coming to HBO Max in March, will spoof many of the Hollywood pirate cliches, focusing on Stede Bonnet, an aristocrat (Rhys Darby, Murray from Flight of the Conchords) who gives up the high life for the high seas and becomes a pirate. New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi is executive producer of the show, plus directs the first episode and plays famed pirate Blackbeard.
History buffs might already know this, but Stede Bonnet was a real person -- a wealthy 18-century landowner who became known as the Gentleman Pirate. And the preview plays off that whole "fancy-pants guy trying to lead a rugged pirate crew" concept with some decent laughs. The trailer has that Flight of the Conchords silliness, with Darby's character urging his pirates to "look scary" and explaining his theory that one should "have fun" with swashbuckling. In a memorable scene, Leslie Jones shows up and calls him out as an "idiot."
HBO Max says the show is coming in March, with no more specific date than that, so yo-ho-ho and stock up on bottles of rum.
