Argh you ready for a new swashbuckling pirate series? NBC certainly thinks so and they have pressed John Malkovich to portray the legendary Blackbeard (Edward Teach if you prefer). The series, “Crossbones,” premieres at the end of May, and now we have gotten a new trailer for it.
Setting up the characters and basic outline of the plot, the video offers up much discussion about a mysterious logbook that harbors information about a secret device. Actually, it”s not really a secret, the official description of the show refers to the device in question as “the world”s first longitude chronometer,” but unless we missed it, the trailer doesn”t seem to say that. Instead, it pits an already infamous Blackbeard against one Tom Lowe (Richard Coyle of “Coupling” fame), and makes us wonder just how bloody it will all get.
This “Crossbones” trailer really operates as a showcase for the regularly compelling Malkovich, but Coyle comes off very well in it, too. Fans of the British “Coupling” will know how great the actor can be, but many in the States won”t recognize him at all. If they do, they will know him as Tus from the “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” movie, but there is probably not much about that film sticks with anyone afterwards.
As for “Crossbones,” the trailer has us intrigued. The series is from Neil Cross, the creator of “Luther,” and executive producers Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald. It premieres May 30th at 10pm.