Taika Waititi is set to play the infamous pirate Edward Teach AKA Blackbeard on HBO Max's comedy series, Our Flag Means Death.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Waititi will also executive produce the show and direct its pilot episode, as was first reported in Sept. 2020. "Our Blackbeard is a legend, a lover, a fighter, a tactical genius, a poetic soul, and quite possibly insane," said showrunner 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."

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Created by Jenkins, Our Flag Means Death is based loosely on the tale of Stede Bonnet, a real-life Barbadian aristocrat who left his world of privilege to become a pirate in the early 18th century, earning him the nickname "The Gentleman Pirate." Bringing Bonnet to life is Rhys Darby, who previously worked with Waititi on his acclaimed 2014 vampire mockumentary film What We Do in the Shadows and 2016 comedy Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Darby also played Murray Hewitt on the cult hit comedy series Flight of the Conchords, a show featuring a handful of episodes written and/or directed by Waititi.

“A series concept like this jumps off the page and you can instantly envision every moment,” said Sarah Aubrey, head of original content, HBO MAX, when Our Flag Means Death was announced. “David and Taika’s unique take on Bonnet’s rollicking misadventures on the high seas, are sure to thrill and delight audiences everywhere.”

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Waititi is currently directing Thor: Love & Thunder, a sequel to his 2017 Marvel Cinematic Universe film, Thor: Ragnarok, for a 2022 release date. He's also attached to helm an as-yet untitled Star War movie from a script he's developing with 1917 screenwriter Krysty Wilson-Cairns.

As for his work on the opposite side of the camera: Waititi is set to reprise his MCU role as Korg in Love & Thunder, in addition to voicing the character in an episode of Marvel's animated What If...? series on Disney+. He will also play a role in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad and appear opposite his Green Lantern costar Ryan Reynolds in the upcoming Free Guy, an action/comedy about a bank teller who realizes he's really a non-playable character (NPC) in a violent, open-world video game.

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Source: The Hollywood Reporter