Blackbeard: Sail Ho!

Today (July 25) is the first day of production on the Blackbeard mini-series!

Based on the number of hits this page gets from around the world, there must be a lot of Blackbeard fans waiting for that scurvy pirate's return.  Well, the news is all good... including the casting of Blackbeard himself...

The production is located in Khanom, Thailand.  As the cameras roll, my draft of the script hovers at about 230 pages for the four-hour epic.  It's a rousing good story -- a little Master and Commander, a dash of Horatio Hornblower, some Captain Blood and some history. This is the second four-hour mini-series I've written for Larry Levinson Productions -- the first being The Poseidon Adventure which airs on NBC next November. I guess if it's a long film on the water, I am becoming the guy to call!

THE SHOWDOWN: Blackbeard versus Maynard

In this film, we play Blackbeard for the badass pirate he supposedly was.  We're very lucky to have found the talented Angus Macfadyen to play this rogue.  You may remember him best in Braveheart, where he played Robert the Bruce.   Macfadyen gets to do a star turn on the dark side this time because Edward Teach (aka "Blackbeard") deserved his reputation as the most dangerous pirate of his time.  Yet he had colors any actor would want to paint with -- Blackbeard could be charming as hell, then turn into a stone sociopath.

Angus Macfadyen is Blackbeard!

Our story isn't based on any particular source material (other than the gray matter in my head, I suppose). But if you're looking for hangings, walking the plank, treasure hunts, mutiny, sword fights, duels and the clash of good and evil with a love story as a backdrop then this may be for you. You will not hear "arr matey" or "shiver me timbers" in the entire four hours, although I am rather fond of Blackbeard's penchant for saying "you may lay to that" and the production guys have added a few "me hearties" here and there.

Our way into the story is to elevate the character of Lieutenant Robert Maynard, the Royal Navy officer who killed Blackbeard back in 1718. In this version, we have a bit of a Donnie Brasco thing going on with Maynard (played by Mark Umbers), but that's all I'm prepared to say. Oh, and we solve the mystery of Captain Kidd's treasure, lost twenty years before Blackbeard came on the scene.

Here's some other casting news.  Jessica Chastain plays Charlotte, Maynard's love interest, and a pawn in Blackbeard's deadly game.   Mini-series veteran Richard Chamberlain plays the corrupt Governor Charles Eden, her step-father who's in league with Blackbeard.  Another top British actor, Nick Farrell, plays Eden's henchman, Tobias Knight.  Australian actress Rachel Ward plays Sally Dunbar, the link between Kidd and Blackbeard... and the treasure.  And, finally, Stacy Keach plays Captain James Hornigold, Blackbeard's mentor in the pirating business.

Here's a sneak peak at set construction going on in Thailand.  First, what it looks like on paper:

Then, what it looks like when the set construction guys get to work.  By now, it's further along than even this photo:

Blackbeard is scheduled to air on the Hallmark Channel in the United States and all kinds of place around the rest of the planet. No info yet on when as the picture doesn't even get delivered until the end of 2005 as I understand it.

It's amazing how many talented people have come together to do this, mostly because they've always wanted to do a "pirate movie." That includes director Kevin Connor, director of photography Alan Caso, costume designer Dana Campbell and producer Russ Markowitz. This is my second time around with producer Dan Gross who's just great to work with, and I'm enjoying the creative collaboration with producer Mike Moran as well. Both Dan and Mike are pirates at heart -- a very good thing, given the material. 

Kevin, the director, and I have bonded over script conferences between his hotel in Thailand and my office in Hollywood.  He says "good morning" and I say "good night" when we talk, but somehow it's all worked.  It's been a respectful collaboration, the kind the Writers Guild would probably wish for all their members.  I have this feeling he's going to shoot one hell of a pirate movie.

Technically, I guess you'd have to say that production started in June when sea footage was shot off the coast of northwest Washington, near Gray's Harbor.  Two tall ships slugged it out for our cameras:  the Lady Washington and the Lynx, both with their crew members and some extras costumed for our production.

History buffs, please be kind. Certain liberties have been taken with the historical record. Like moving the location of the action from North Carolina to the Caribbean. Still, it's not as much as has been done in just about every other pirate movie I've seen, but enough that I'm not expecting to be invited as a guest lecturer on the university circuit. 

Previous film versions have been wider off the mark by a long shot (presumably fired from a musket).  In 1952, Robert Newton played a so over-the-top Blackbeard in Blackbeard, the Pirate that my head still spins thinking about it.  The story even had Henry Morgan as a character, a virtual impossibility since he was already dead when Blackbeard was at work.  And even my friend Stan Lee did a version in Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four where The Thing goes back in time and becomes Blackbeard.  I'm pretty sure that didn't happen!

Point is simply that, although our production, too, is a good old adventurous pirate yarn, its tone is still the closest anybody has come in film to the way it was.

NOTE:  That "poster" at the top is NOT official art.  When I grabbed the images off the internet during the research phase I had no idea I would do this blog so I didn't write down who the artists are.  If they see their work and post here, I will give them the proper credit or pull it down, as per their wishes.

Having passed the baton from script to production, I'm blogging this from Hollywood... break a leg to all the cast and crew in Thailand!

Comments

[Devi]

Thanks for the Blackbeard Information. I've been doing searches since I first learned of this project. Hope to hear more about it here.

dev

[Ms. Deejay Driscoll]

I was thrilled when Mr. Macfadyen told me the wonderful news about his latest role. If there is anything extra you would like to share on his website with his many eager fans, I would be most happy to coordinate with you, sir. Thanks so much! (URL, e-mail above.)

[BeckEye]

Arrr, matey. Somehow I don't think real pirates were that handsome!

[Grace]

It has been a long while since I have gotten excited over a mini-series, and I am thrilled that you are enlisting such versatile and creative artists to help tell this tale. MacFadyen, Chamberlain, Keach, Farrell and Ward are all excellent choices and I look forward to this project. MacFadyen should be able to capture this characters dangerous charm laced with a touch of believeable lunacy, without much effort (there is something about his eyes that shatter souls...)and Chamberlain will surely add elegance and grace to the dishonorable. Looking forward to it, sir, and as a side note, any film featuring the "Lady Washington" is a film I will not miss. (Thanks to Deejay for making us aware of this project and this site.)

[Shonna]

Brilliant casting choices, can't wait to see the finished product - please do keep updating us - you can rest assured that word of mouth advertising will be happening on this end - very excited to see this!

[Kat]

Angus MaFadyen has just the right look and certainly the fabulous range to do justice to the Blackbeard character.
He can pretty much play anything and make it all look so easy and fun.
It looks like an interesting and fun story.
Looking forward to seeing it when it comes out.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on such an outstanding talent.

[Tamara]

I have always loved pirate movies and to now have the opportunity to see a pirate movie with an actor I like is a double plus. I am extremely excited about this mini-series and can't wait to see it on tv.

[Laurel]

Angus Macfadyen is a natural choice to play a pirate such as Blackbeard. I am looking forward to the mini-series!

[Fritz]

Thank you, Mr. Zabel, for penning and successfully promoting what looks like a great mini-series - I love pirate movies of all kinds (even ones based on theme-park rides), but it'll be nice to see one without all the ridiculous cliches! And I can't imagine a better choice for Teach than Angus MacFadyen!

Waiting with bated breath for the release...