For more than a year's
fans of pirates have awaited the coming of NBC series Crossbones, starring veteran actor, John Malkovich, and after the
dismal demise of Dracula, NBC in
hoping their Crossbones will do as well as Starz's Black Sails has in its first
season.
Much of this
hope is based on the main character, Edward Teach or his popular
persona, Blackbeard. While Starz's Black Sails only
makes periodic references to the character in their series, Crossbones' story
mainly centers on the adventures of Blackbeard himself. Whether the series is a
success or not will depend on how well and how accurate the life of Blackbeard
is portrayed. Yes, given what is known of Blackbeard fans can expect much fictional experimentation in Crossbones. This is the triple-fold job for the creative imaginations of the series writers,
the ability of the director to get everyone doing and saying what they should,
and finally, John Malkovich's anticipated
charismatic portrayal of Blackbeard as an aging, bald, and white-bearded terror of
the seas. I know, but when you are as famed as Malkovich you can afford to deviate out of the box.
For example, in his
period based films, three of which are Dangerous Liaisons (Vicomte
Sébastien de Valmont), The Man in the Iron Mask (Athos), and The Libertine (King Charles II), Malkovich
plays his characters very well and with a graceful versatility between the good, the dark,
and the downright eerie that he easily enlists reactions
of laughter, sadness, shock, and outrage from his fans. Given these dramatic
examples, there is no reason why Malkovich portrayal of Blackbeard will not meet
fans expectation. As for what NBC expects from the Crossbones, the true success of the series will not only
be the artistry of the show but its numbers.
The weekly rating are numbers based on viewership no matter how well a series is
done, and a well crafted and performed series means nothing if it is not drawing in viewers.
Given the
popularity of Starz's Black Sail, there is interest in series based on pirates,
the historical figures, as well as popular fictional characters from classic novels.
And with a life such as the one that
Blackbeard lived, the chances are good that Crossbones may become more than a
one-shot season series, unlike that of Dracula.
A bit of history
about the real Blackbeard. Edward Teach made his career as a pirate during what
is now known as "The Golden Age of
Piracy", which was between the years of 1689-1718. Teach was not always a pirate. He is thought
to have been a privateer. He became a true pirate after Captain Benjamin Hornigold entrusted him with a second ship they has captured. After the two men has done a several successful
raids of piracy, Teach became a ship's captain in his own rights. Some historic
records state that beside the name Blackbeard, Teach sometimes went but the name of
Drummond. However, the former name stuck and Teach made his reputation as Blackbeard,
The Terror Of The High Seas.
About Edward
Teach true character, according the depositions of the captains that encountered
him, he was according to Henry
Bostock, captain of the Margaret, Teach is described as a "tall
spare man with a very black beard which he wore very long".
This is recorded
as the first account of Edward Teach's appearance and is the source of his alias
as Blackbeard. Much later descriptions tell of his thick black beard in braided
pigtails and sometimes tied in with small colored ribbons.
So
our Heroe, Captain Teach, assumed the Cognomen of Black-beard,
from that large Quantity of Hair, which, like a frightful Meteor, covered his
whole Face, and frightened America more than any Comet that has appeared
there a long Time. This Beard was black, which he suffered to grow of an
extravagant Length; as to Breadth, it came up to his Eyes; he was accustomed to
twist it with Ribbons, in small Tails, after the Manner of our Ramilies Wiggs,
and turn them about his Ears.
Despite his reputation
a ferocious and calculating pirate at sea, there are no record of him murdering
or his harming his captives.
It is speculated
that Teach was born Bristol, England in 1680. However it is a certainty that he
and several of his crew meet their death on November 22, 1718 during a savagely
fierce battle with a small force of sailors led by Lieutenant Robert Maynard of
the British Royal Navy.
Crossbones premieres this Friday, May 30
at 10/9c
Cast includes:
·
John Malkovich as Edward
"Blackbeard" Teach
·
Yasmine Al Massri as Selima El Sharad
·
Richard Coyle as Tom Lowe
·
Claire Foy as Kate Balfour
·
David Hoflin as Charlie Rider
·
Tracy Ifeachor as Nenna Ajanlekoko
·
Chris Perfetti as Tim Fletch
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