Jason Momoa used his Aquaman clout to get this colourful historical epic made. He co-created and co-wrote the series, and plays Ka'iana, a warrior in 18th-Century Hawaii who is trying to unify the islands before colonists take control. If the subject is unexpected from the star of mainstream commercial films including the recent hit The Minecraft Movie, the action is on brand. Combining large-scale battle scenes with history is a formula that worked for Shogun, and Chief of War has a similar dynamic, and a grounding in authenticity. The cast is mostly Polynesian, and Momoa, who has born in Hawaii, had to speak the Hawaiian language, Olelo, for some scenes. Learning it, he told GQ, was "The hardest thing I have done in my life." The series co-creator, Thomas Pa'a Sibbett, has said, "We actually had this idea a good 10 years ago," but, he added, "We knew that in order to pull off something like this, Jason needed to bring his star power up".

Chief of War premieres 1 August on Apple TV+ internationally