Ahoy mateys! Arr!! Other pirate clichés! Yes, it would appear that the buccaneer bug shows no sign of slowing down across the pond, with even the most recent Pirates Of The Caribbean bringing in the doubloons despite the fact that it wasn’t exactly ship shape and Bristol fashion. US cable channel Starz, still best known for blood, boobs ‘n’ bonking series Spartacus, is looking to raise the Jolly Roger and sail into the waters of pirate telly. And the series, Black Sails, has Michael Bay attached as executive producer.
Sails, which was created by Jericho veteran Jon Steinberg and Touch writer Robert Levine, will act as a prequel to Treasure Island as it follows the adventures of the fabled Captain Flint and his crew of salty sea dogs. Flint, who is renowned across the oceans as the smartest and most fearsome pirate captain of his day, takes aboard a new recruit, one John Silver. And we know how that will go…
The captain and his crew will be fighting off the changing face of sea-faring, staring down extinction and battling to protect New Providence Island, a wretched hive of scum and villainy the biggest criminal haven of the day, home to pirates, prostitutes, thieves and treasure hunters and renowned for some enlightened ideals. So, business as usual for Starz then.
But while Bay has built his career on work as a director, he won’t actually be calling the shots for any of the initial episodes, though he has apparently been involved in setting out the series’ visual style. We predict sunsets, filters, TV-budgeted explosions and fast editing. We're not sure how they'll crowbar in helicopters though.
While this is Bay’s first stab at telly, and will enter a world where more than one pirate show is already sailing through development (including one by Ridley and Tony Scott and another from Gale Anne Hurd), this has been quietly set up since 2010. Several scripts are already on hand and shooting will kick off in Cape Town this year, which means Black Sails is set to beat the competition out of port. It’s not really a surprise to learn Michael Bay is producing a pirate TV show. After all, he does love booty. Thank you! Here all week! Try the salad.