First Look at Michael Bay/Starz "Black Sails"; Pirates and Lesbians Ahoy!

The first preview for the Michael Bay (Bad Boys II, The Rock, The Island, Armageddon) produced Starz drama, "Black Sails" has found it's way online, showing us a brief glimpse of what to expect from this "Treasure Island" prequel. Hint: violence, lesbians, and pirate-ships.

The official synopsis:

“The eight-episode first season of the pirate adventure centers on the tales of Captain Flint and his men, and takes place twenty years prior to Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic Treasure Island. Toby Stephens (Die Another Day) stars as Flint, the most brilliant and most feared pirate captain of his day, takes on a fast-talking young addition to his crew who goes by the name John Silver.  Threatened with extinction on all sides, they fight for the survival of New Providence Island, the most notorious criminal haven of its day – a debauched paradise teeming with pirates, prostitutes, thieves and fortune seekers, a place defined by both its enlightened ideals and its stunning brutality.”

Neil Marshall, who directed the "Game of Thrones" episode 'Blackwater', which features a very well done Naval battle, is directing the pilot, set to air in 2014. The cast includes a varied mix of handsome and tan men in their 20s, and attractive women, so basically what you'd expect from something Bay has his hands on.

Also from the Starz press release:

“I’m excited to branch out into television,” says Michael Bay, the record-breaking director/producer of such big screen hits as Transformers and Bad Boys, “especially doing a long-form series for STARZ, a network known for supporting cutting edge programming.”

I love pirates, and if there's one thing I'd like to see on TV that isn't fucking zombies, it'd be either dinosaurs or pirates. Sadly, "Terra Nova" was canned, so that takes care of that. If the show goes the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End  route, which is what it sounds like with pirates trying to carve out their place in this rapidly changing world, it will make for some great action and drama.

Starz has had a pretty good run of luck with it's original programming, such as "Spartacus", "Boss", the short-lived "Camelot", and the new "DaVinci's Demons". I think this shows us Starz is a definite power with a varied and colorful roster of shows. Love him or hate him, Michael Bay knows how to draw in the crowds, and "Black Sails" looks like it'll be no exception.