John Malkovich as Blackbeard. Now, this might not seem like a conventional idea, but stay with me for a second before you jump ship. (Alright, I didn't plan that pun and I'm seriously regretting it.) Crossbones is to be a fictionalized account of the famous pirate Blackbird's adventures, with famous deadpanner Malkovich in the lead role. It's based on the book The Republic of Pirates by Colin Woodward, which largely focused on Blackbeard's life as he sailed throughout the Bahamas, specifically the island of New Providence. The showrunner is Neil Cross, who certainly hasn't steered us wrong before as the co-creator of Luther and a writer for Doctor Who (well, depending on how you feel about The Rings of Akhaten and Hide). And for those of you who were big Coupling fans back in the day, I've heard tell that Richard Coyle (who played Jeff on the series, and hasn't had a huge amount of major roles since then) will be co-starring on Crossbones as Tom Lowe. We think it's reasonable to expect NBC to splurge on this show, hoping to find a Sleepy Hollow level success, with loud, brash set pieces and an unconventional yet well-cast leading man in Malkovich.
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
