Malkovich to star in Neil Cross's new TV series

I mentioned a while back that 2012 Ngaio Marsh Award winner Neil Cross, who is also the creator of the award-winning BBC detective series Luther, has had many other irons in the fire recently, with a string of upcoming movies (for film and television), and other projects, including writing a pirate-centric new drama series for American television, Cross Bones.

In some great breaking news today, acclaimed actor John Malkovich has been confirmed for the lead role of Blackbeard in Cross Bones, which is described as:

The 10-episode Crossbones is set in 1715 on the Bahamian island of New Providence, the first functioning democracy in the Americas, where the diabolical pirate Edward Teach, aka Blackbeard (Malkovich), reigns over a rogue nation of thieves, outlaws and miscreant sailors. Part shantytown, part marauder’s paradise, this is a place like no other on earth — and a mounting threat to international commerce. 

The series certainly has some Hollywood 'grunt' involved; along with Malkovich and Cross, it is being produced by Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald, who have a quarter century string of critically acclaimed, award-winning, and high-quality films to their credit, from the likes of Awakenings with Robert DeNiro and Robin Williams back in 1990, to the recent Denzel Washington star turn in Flight.

Parkes was head of Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, and Parkes and MacDonald together oversaw development and production of many Dreamworks SKG hit films - including three consecutive Oscar winners: American Beauty, Gladiator, and A Beautiful Mind. So, big guns behind this new TV series.

Said Parkes in today's press release about Malkovich joining the production:

“Over the last three decades, John Malkovich has occupied a singular place in the world of international film, theater, and even opera. We’re awed by the opportunity to bring his brilliance to the small screen — particularly in service of the character of Blackbeard, as so brilliantly conceived by Neil Cross.”

Having really enjoyed Cross's books and TV shows, and being a fan of Malkovich (along with many of Parkes and MacDonald's films), I'm really looking forward to seeing Cross Bones down the track.