Starz Teams Up with Michael Bay for New Original Series

BEVERLY HILLS: The pirate adventure Black Sails (working title), from executive producer Michael Bay, has been given a straight-to-series order by Starz.

The original series takes place 20 years prior to Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic Treasure Island. Eight episodes have been ordered for a first season, which is slated to air in 2014. The adventure will center on the tales of Captain Flint and his men. Bay (Transformers, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor) is executive producing with his Platinum Dunes partners Brad Fuller and Andrew Form. The series is created by showrunner and executive producer Jon Steinberg (Jericho, Human Target) and co-executive producer Robert Levine (Touch).

Starz retains all TV, home-video and digital rights for the show.

“Starz is excited to be working with a visionary like Michael,” said Chris Albrecht, the CEO of Starz. “Along with the high-octane action that is a hallmark of a Michael Bay production, it has the elements that Starz originals are striving to bring to the premium landscape: epic, larger than life, cinematic storytelling. The series is also a property we believe will appeal to the global content marketplace with broadcasters around the world.”

"I’m excited to branch out into television," added Bay, "especially doing a long-form series for Starz, a network known for supporting cutting-edge programming."