At the recent New York Comic Con, STARZ debuted a new trailer for the high seas adventure “Black Sails.” Set to premiere in January 2014, the eight-episode first season follows the adventures of Captain Flint and his men, twenty years before the events in Robert Louis Stevenson’s book “Treasure Island.”
For those unfamiliar with the story, I encourage you to read the book or watch one of the film adaptations. The Muppet version will be available on Blu-ray in December, and there’s a 1990 version with a great cast including Christian Bale, Christopher Lee, and Julian Glover. I haven’t seen it so I can’t say whether or not it’s any good, but those are some talented names. The 1950 Disney film is probably one of the best known, though. It’s a true classic.
From the press release:
“Toby Stephens (Die Another Day) stars as Flint, the most brilliant and most feared pirate captain of his day, who 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.
“Black Sails” is executive produced by Michael Bay (Transformers, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor) and his Platinum Dunes partners Brad Fuller and Andrew Form, producers on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) and Nightmare on Elm Street (2009). The series was created by showrunner and executive producer Jon Steinberg (creator “Jericho,” “Human Target”) and co-executive producer Robert Levine (“Touch”). It has already been greenlit for a second season.
And while Michael Bay has his detractors, who doesn’t like a good pirate story? No, I’m not referring to the sequels to “Pirates of the Caribbean.” And since this isn’t a family-friendly Disney film, we’ll likely see pirates actually being more piratey and wearing less eyeliner. But we’ll have to wait until January to determine if “Black Sails” is a show worth watching. Until then, check out the trailer.