Jason Momoa To Co-Write And Star In Hawaiian Historical Epic Chief Of War For Apple TV+
Apple TV+ is setting up a new series called "Chief of War," according to The Ankler. This will be a historical drama set in 1795 Hawaii, while its four kingdoms are at war. It focuses on a famed warrior named Ka'iana, who retired from Maui's army to live a quiet life as a simple fisherman. However, he's pulled back into battle when he becomes the focus of a prophecy that predicts he will be the one to bring peace to the islands.
This is all true, by the way. Hawaii's history is rich and full of an insane amount of drama.
The "Game of Thrones" and "Aquaman" star (and Hawaiian native) is heavily involved in "Chief of War," not only starring as Ka'iana but also co-writing alongside Thomas Paa Sibbett and Doug Jung. Frankly, this seems to be the kind of role Momoa has been building up to his entire career. Bbeyond his action prowess and buckets of charm, Momoa's also an actor that commands your attention when he's onscreen. Even in stinkers, there's something magnetic about him that makes the fact that he's getting to play a historical figure with a lot of depth extremely interesting.
Hawaii's rich history has been mostly ignored by Hollywood
The political turbulence of the time is a perfect backdrop. The Ankler says the project will be casting some notable historic figures in supporting roles alongside Momoa as well, including King Kamehameha, King Kahekili of Maui, Prince Kupule, and John Young.
Outside of some Pixar things and the occasional indie out of New Zealand, the Polynesian people's stories have largely been ignored by Hollywood. The time is right, Momoa is the perfect star to shoulder this kind of story, and Apple TV+'s wallet should be big enough to give it the grandeur it deserves. According to the Ankler, the production should get fully underway this summer and is actively searching for writers of Polynesian descent to help flesh out each episode of this series.
It should also be noted that Momoa has been trying to tell Hawaiian stories for a while now, including trying to get an indie off the ground called "Ko'olau the Defiant One," about another historical figure, this one a real-life outlaw who fought the militia that overthrew the Kingdom of Hawaii during the late 1800s. This is a story he's so passionate about that he's even attached to direct it. It sounds like we're going to get some epic storytelling out of this extremely rich history.