Jason Momoa is set to return to Apple TV+ in the highly anticipated historical drama “Chief of War,” for which the streaming platform released a trailer today. The nine-episode series, both starring and executive produced by Momoa, is slated to premiere globally on Friday, August 1st.
The series, based on true events, follows warrior Ka’iana (portrayed by Momoa) in his quest to unify the Hawaiian islands before Western colonisation in the late 18th century. Told from an indigenous perspective, the show represents a personal passion project for Momoa and co-creator Thomas Pa’a Sibbett, both of whom share native Hawaiian heritage.
“Chief of War” features a predominantly Polynesian cast alongside Momoa, including Luciane Buchanan, Temuera Morrison, Te Ao o Hinepehinga, Cliff Curtis, newcomer Kaina Makua, Moses Goods, Siua Ikale’o, Brandon Finn, James Udom, Mainei Kinimaka, Te Kohe Tuhaka and Benjamin Hoetjes.
The production team boasts impressive credentials, with Doug Jung serving as showrunner and executive producer. Justin Chon directs the first two episodes, whilst Momoa himself directs the season finale. Other executive producers include Sibbett, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, Tracey Cook and Brian Andrew Mendoza.
Adding to the series’ prestige, Grammy and Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer created the theme music and co-produced the score for all nine episodes alongside James Everingham. Their collaboration took place during Zimmer’s tenure with Bleeding Fingers Music, the Emmy Award-winning and BAFTA Award-nominated composer collective co-founded by Zimmer in 2013.
“Chief of War” follows Apple’s previous successful collaboration with Momoa on the hit series “See,” which ran for three seasons and is currently available for streaming on Apple TV+.
The series will debut with its first two episodes on Friday, August 1st, followed by weekly episode releases every Friday until September 19th.
More info on the “Chief of War” series can be found here.