Jason Momoa Just Declared War on Hollywood's Favorite Lie—And Native Voices Are SCREAMING
This isn't just a show. It's a reclamation wrapped in fire and feathers.
Apple TV+ just dropped the teaser for Chief of War, Jason Momoa's blood-soaked, ocean-deep passion project—and it's already making critics fidget in their festival seats. Why? Because this time, the empire doesn't get the last word. The trailer dives headfirst into the colonization and unification of Hawai‘i at the turn of the 18th century—but through Indigenous eyes. Not a romanticized myth. Not a sanitized classroom special. This is raw. This is real. And yeah, it rips.
Momoa's not just starring—he co-created, exec produced, and even directed the finale. Translation? This is the closest thing we've had to an Indigenous-led epic on this scale since… never.
Why This Changes Everything (Or Nothing)
Here's the kicker: Hans Zimmer scored it. Yes, that Hans Zimmer—aka the guy who made pirates cool again and taught Batman how to brood with strings. And that's not even the wildest part. Zimmer co-produced all nine episodes' scores with James Everingham, dialing in Polynesian textures under Zimmer's blockbuster bombast. The effect? Imagine Braveheart, but the bagpipes are conch shells and you can smell the salt.
Also, the cast is stacked with Polynesian royalty: Temuera Morrison (Mandalorian's daddy), Cliff Curtis (Sunshine, Avatar), and a breakout newcomer, Kaina Makua. It's like the MCU's dream cast if it were actually rooted in something real.
But this isn't Disney's sanitized Moana-verse. The trailer oozes defiance. Grit. Legacy warfare. And for once, Hollywood isn't flattening the culture for box office safety. It's handing over the camera.
Still—will mainstream audiences bite? Or will this get the Reservation Dogs treatment—critically adored, barely marketed?
The Hidden Story Behind the Blood
Let's time-travel. Hollywood has a nasty pattern: tell a story about colonization, but cast a white lead to “guide” us through it. The Last Samurai. Dances With Wolves. Even Avatar, for Pandora's sake.
But Chief of War flips the lens—literally. Momoa and co-creator Thomas Pa'a Sibbett are of Native Hawaiian descent. So is much of the cast. And behind the camera? Justin Chon (Blue Bayou) directs the first two episodes—and his track record with deeply personal, racially loaded stories means we're not getting a tourism ad.
It's a full-circle moment: A Polynesian-led cast telling a Polynesian story on a global stage. That's not just TV. That's historical correction. As one (very real) academic once said: “Representation isn't a luxury—it's resistance.”
Now Pick a Side
So: is Chief of War the anti-colonial epic we've been waiting for—or just another prestige period piece polished for awards season?
Would you rather watch this or let Netflix auto-play Emily in Paris again? No judgment. (Okay, some judgment.)
