New Zealanders Taika Waititi and Rhys Darby, who have worked together on Flight of the Conchords, What We Do in the Shadows, and more, will co-star in Our Flag Means Death, a new period comedy being produced for HBO Max. Deadline reports the series is from writer David Jenkins (People of Earth), Garrett Basch (What We Do in the Shadows) and Dan Halsted, and is “based loosely on the true adventures of Stede Bonnet (Darby), a pampered aristocrat who abandoned his life of privilege to become a pirate.” Waititi will play the Blackbeard, the most feared pirate on the seas.

“Our Blackbeard is a legend, a lover, a fighter, a tactical genius, a poetic soul and quite possibly insane,” Jenkins said in a statement. “Only one man could play this role, and that is the great Taika Waititi. We’re thrilled beyond measure he’s decided to don the beard.” Taika, who won the 2020 Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for Jojo Rabbit, will also direct Our Flag Means Death‘s first episode.

Waititi is a very in-demand director these days. Before Jojo Rabbit, he directed Thor Ragnarok, the Season 1 finale of The Mandalorian (he was also the voice of droid IG-11), several episodes of What We Do in the Shadows, and coming up he’s got Next Goal Wins (about the American Samoa soccer team who suffered the worst defeat in World Cup history, 31-0 against Australia in 2001), and then Thor: Love and Thunder, and has been given carte-blanche to create a film within the Star Wars universe. He’s also directing the pilot for the series adaptation of fantasy adventure film Time Bandits. Busy!