The upcoming comedy series Our Flag Means Death features the character of gentleman pirate Stede Bennett.
Ars staffers are big fans of Taika Waititi. What We Do in the Shadows, Wellington, and Hunt for the Paranormal are just a few of the quirky projects he brings to his work. Waititi was able to develop a new period comedy series after filming wrapped on THOR: LOVE and THUD.
It's called Our Flag Means Death, and it's the first thing you'll see. The series is about a man who abandons his comfortable life to become a pirate. The main character is based on a real person who sailed with the notorious pirate Blackbeard.
When his father died in 1694, the heir to the estate was the real Stede Bonnet, who was born in 1688 to a wealthy English family. He was a bookish sort, and his early life was unremarkable. He married, fathered three sons and a daughter, and briefly served in the military, but there is no record that he fought in combat.
Even though he had no experience with ships or sailing, Bonnet decided to become a pirate at the age of 29 because of a midlife crisis. Apparently, he was fed up with his wife's nagging, and became dissatisfied with the "discomforts he found in a married state." The local shipyard built a 60-ton sloop with 10 guns for Bonnet, who was a man of means. The ship Revenge was christened and had a crew of 70 men. The men were paid regular wages instead of splitting plunder.
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Bonnet's motley crew is ready to plunder.
Bonnet's lack of experience made it difficult for him to win the respect of his crew over the course of his short pirating career. Pirates were dangerous and few lived to a ripe old age. Between spring and September 1717, the Revenge captured and plundered some half-dozen vessels. The battle with the Spanish man-of-war left both Bonnet and the ship in a bad way.
The Revenge arrived in Nassau in the Bahamas for repairs and was met by Edward Teach. The disabling nature of Bonnet's injuries made him relinquish command of the Revenge to Blackbeard. After plundering a lot of ships, they took command of a 200 ton vessel called La Concorde and renamed it Queen Anne's Revenge.
After Bonnet's crew deserted him, Blackbeard betrayed him and put one of his own men in charge of the Revenge. The governor of North Carolina granted a pardon to Bonnet, who wanted to retire from the pirate life. As the Atlantic hurricane season was in full swing, Bonnet used to pirate under the name "Captain Thomas." He tried to keep his promise, but food became scarce and he used to pirate under the name "Captain Thomas." Revenge was given a new name: Royal James.
Taika Waititi co-stars as Blackbeard.
After the battles took their toll on Royal James, Bonnet decided to moor in the Cape Fear River to wait out the storm season. The gentleman pirate's fate was sealed when news of his presence spread. The entire crew was arrested on October 3, 1718, after they lost a fight against Col. William Rhett's naval forces. On December 10, 1718, Bonnet was hanged after briefly escaping and being caught. Bonnet's life as a pirate lasted less than two years. If he had just stayed in Barbados and lived a quiet life, we wouldn't know his name.
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Blackbeard didn't fare much better. One month before Bonnet was hanged, Teach and his crew engaged in a battle with a small group of sailors. One of Maynard's men slashed Teach across the neck as the rest of the crew joined in the attack. Teach had been shot five times and cut 20 times. He had his head placed on a pole in the bay to warn other pirates.
The right decision is that the series is unlikely to attempt much in the way of historical accuracy. The Great's credits claim the show is an occasionally true story. We have faith in Taika Waititi's vision, even though The Great is a high bar to clear. We will definitely be tuning in.
Our Flag Means Death is on the air.
Our Flag Means Death is a new comedy series from Max.
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