Just because Apple TV+ is crushing a sci-fi supply and beefing up their comedy roster doesn’t mean that they are putting drama on the back burner. Quite the opposite, and the star of one of the earliest Apple TV+ shows, See is doing some dramatic honors.
Jason Momoa will return to take another page from history, long after his four seasons of Frontier for Netflix and Discovery Channel. He won’t be wearing fur this time but will be heading back to his native Hawaii, where he has always been vocal for Indigenous Peoples’ rights and previously faux-threatened to derail Aquaman 2 (which, in retrospect, he probably should have done for any reason) while protesting construction on a sacred mountain. Now, Momoa will funnel that same passion into Chief of War, so let’s uncover what to expect.
Plot
Momoa is all in. He has acknowledged this series to the Associated Press as “the pinnacle for me,” “the top,” and “my Dances With Wolves,” and he not only stars in every episode but executive produced and wrote the series. The cast is predominantly Polynesian, and this will not only be an epic production but also “unprecedented telling of the unification and colonization of Hawai’i at the turn of the 18th century.”
The entire series, naturally, was shot on location and is fashioned on historical events. As with both Game Of Thrones and See, Momoa portrays another legendary warrior, but this character is obviously near to his heart due this being a real story. Ka’iana has been noted by historians as “the handsomest of chiefs” and has been compared to Hercules, and Momoa will portray him as “he tries to unify the islands before Western colonization in the late 18th century.”
While speaking with Men’s Health, Momoa continued his raving by calling this “my baby, and my dream,” and emotion continued to pour out on why this was much more than a mere gig:
“It’s the hardest, most challenging, most demanding thing I’ve ever done. It’s the last big dream I have left. Everything else is just kind of ‘actor for hire,’ but this is my homage to my people. We have so many beautiful stories in Hawaii that no one knows about. All I care about is just doing right by my people. [The show is] for Indigenous kids growing up, understanding that we were warriors and what we come from and understanding there was a language that was stripped from us. Like most Indigenous tribes, everything’s taken from us. It’s like rebuilding and building these bridges back.”
Cast
Momoa headlines an ensemble packed that includes The Night Agent‘s Luciane Buchanan along with Cliff Curtis, Temuera Morrison, Kaina Makua, Moses Goods, Te Ao o Hinepehinga, James Udom, Mainei Kinimaka, Brandon Finn, Siua Ikale’o, and Te Kohe Tuhaka.
Release Date
Chief of War will debut on August 1, 2025 with two episodes and weekly Friday arrivals to complete nine episodes.
Trailer
With no trailer yet (that should surface soon), here’s Momoa gushing about his devotion to the AP.