Move over Moana, Jason Momoa is coming in to depict the history of Hawai’i with the Apple TV Plus series Chief of War, a nine-episode historical drama about the unification and colonization of Hawai’i, based on true events.
Not only is Momoa leading the series on camera, but he is co-creator and co-writer for the series, serves as an executive producer and directed the season finale. That should give you a hint as to how big a passion project Chief of War is for Momoa, who has native Hawaiian heritage.
To get all the info you need to know about Chief of War, continue reading below.
Chief of War release date
Chief of War premieres exclusively on Apple TV Plus on August 1.
The first two episodes of the series will premiere on August 1, with subsequent episodes premiering one a week every Friday. With nine episodes in total, that will have the season finale premiering on September 19.
In order to watch Chief of War, you must have an Apple TV Plus subscription.
Chief of War cast
Did we mention that Jason Momoa was starring in this show? All jokes aside, the Dune, A Minecraft Movie and See star leads a predominantly Polynesian cast that consists of a number of recognizable actors and a slate of newcomers as well.
Among the known stars are Luciane Buchanan (The Night Agent), Temuera Morrison (The Book of Boba Fett) and Cliff Curtis (Last Breath). The rest of the cast includes Te Ao o Hinepehinga (Breakwater), Moses Goods (Rescue: HI-Surf), Siua Ikale’o (NCIS: Hawai’i), Brandon Finn (FBI: International), James Udom (Accused), Mainei Kinimaka (See), Te Kohe Tuhaka (My Life is Murder) and Kaina Makua, who makes their acting debut in the series.
Chief of War plot
Momoa co-created and wrote Chief of War with Thomas Pa’a Sibbett, with Doug Jung as the series’ showrunner. Here is the official synopsis for the series:
“Chief of War follows the epic and unprecedented telling of the unification and colonization of Hawai‘I in the late 18th century. Told from an indigenous perspective, Chief of War is a passion project for creators Jason Momoa and Thomas Pa’a Sibbett, who both share native Hawaiian heritage.”
Chief of War trailer
Watch the official Chief of War trailer directly below:
Chief of War behind the scenes
Fifth Season and Chernin Entertainment are two production companies behind the series.
There are four directors currently listed for the series. In addition to Momoa, they are Justin Chon, Anders Engström and Brian Andrew Mendoza.
Another notable behind-the-scenes contributor is Hans Zimmer, who wrote the Chief of War theme song and co-produced the score for all nine episodes with James Everingham.
