Michael Bay is known for his high-end action set pieces and his audience-centric approach to explosive popcorn movies, but back in 2014, he decided to add a swashbuckling TV series to his list. While we’re no strangers to loving action movies like Sylvester Stallone’s epic franchise streaming on Netflix, digging into a Bay-helmed series is extra exciting. Starz’s somewhat surprising hit “Black Sails” was originally conceived as a sort of prequel to (or at least a series inspired by) the classic novel “Treasure Island.” But with such a flashy, focused executive producer as Bay at its helm, it’s earned quite a fanbase. Which goes to show you that some of the unlikeliest projects can be a success – such as one of James Cameron’s biggest hits.
“Black Sails” follows a young, burgeoning crew led by Captain Flint during the peak of piracy activity in the 18th century. Set on New Providence Island, the show features gritty action, incredibly impressive production value, and classic, treasure-oriented plot points. While Michael Bay is not shy about stamping his name on the film industry, he had such big aspirations for the budget and quality of “Black Sails” that even he wasn’t sure if it was going to get made.
How Michael Bay was the perfect captain for Black Sails
Michael Bay may be known for his sky-high movie budgets, helming films and franchises like “Transformers” and “Bad Boys” and action classics like “The Rock” and “Armageddon,” but his interest in TV didn’t mean he was looking to shrink his approach for the small screen. In an interview with Variety when “Black Sails” was just coming out, he noted that before Starz gave it the thumbs up, he thought the budget was going to be too high for it to get greenlit.
Bay’s role wasn’t necessarily a day-to-day director like it is on many of his films, but he was instrumental in staffing the film and influencing the pre-production process. You can see his fingerprints on the show quite well when watching some of its most-liked battle scenes, such as the Royal Navy faceoff in the Season 3 finale or Captain Flint’s rescue battle in Season 2. As with many of his other productions, the spectacle is enough to make you wonder how much the damage from Michael Bay movies and shows would cost in real life.
What’s so interesting about a show with the scale and ambition of “Black Sails” is how much it seems to have flown under the radar. While it doesn’t command the huge following of other massive hits like “Game of Thrones” or “Stranger Things,” “Black Sails” is sitting firm with a Rotten Tomatoes score above 80 and a vibrant fan base. While the series officially ended in 2017 with no plans to continue, its four epic seasons can be streamed via Starz now.
