The trailer for Chief of War shows Jason Momoa, both literally and figuratively, cementing his status as a war leader by riding a shark during battle. The platform describes the series as a "historical drama," but with Momoa in the lead role, the Aquaman energy is never far away.
Momoa not only stars as the Hawaiian warrior and chieftain Ka‘iana; he also co-created, wrote, executive produced, and directed the season finale, demonstrating just how far he's come since his days as Khal Drogo on Game of Thrones.
Based on true events, Chief of War follows Ka‘iana, a Hawaiian warrior who tries to unite the islands in the late 18th century in the lead-up to Western colonization. The series, co-created by Momoa with Thomas Pa'a Sibbett—both of Hawaiian descent—is told entirely from an Indigenous perspective.
Moreover, the cast consists largely of Polynesian actors. Starring alongside Momoa are Luciane Buchanan, Temuera Morrison, Te Ao o Hinepehinga Rauna, Cliff Curtis, Kaina Makua, Moses Goods, Siua Ikale‘o, Brandon Finn, James Udom, Mainei Kinimaka, Te Kohe Tuhaka, and Benjamin Hoetjes.
Chief of War consists of nine episodes. The first two episodes will debut on Friday, August 1st, on Apple TV+, with new episodes airing every Friday until September 19th.
The music for the series was composed by none other than Hans Zimmer, who wrote the theme song and, along with James Everingham, produced the complete soundtrack for all episodes.
For Momoa, Chief of War isn't his first collaboration with Apple TV+: he previously starred in three seasons of See, Apple TV+'s first original series, which debuted alongside the platform's launch.
Check out the first-look photos and trailer for Chief of War below.