The prolific Taika Waititi will now star in, in addition to producing, the upcoming HBO Max comedy series Our Flag Means Death, according to Deadline. The period series is loosely based on the true adventures of Stede Bonnet, a wealthy landowner who gave up fancy living in 1717 to hit the high seas as a pirate--a great premise for a comedy made all the better with the news that Waititi will be starring as the dreaded pirate Blackbeard.

Waititi joins the previously announced series lead Rhys Darby, who will play Bonnet. Darby and Waititi have worked and also acted together on the HBO series Flight of the Conchords and the film What We Do in the Shadows. Until this announcement, Waititi was only expected to produce the series and direct Our Flag Means Death's pilot, when the series was first announced back in 2020.

"Our Blackbeard is a legend, a lover, a fighter, a tactical genius, a poetic soul, and quite possibly insane," said series creator 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."