Chief of War

Name: New Zealand Film Commission
Price range: $

A thrilling, unprecedented telling of the unification of the Hawaiian Islands from an indigenous perspective. A Hawaiian war chief joins a bloody campaign to unite the warring islands in order to save them from the threat of colonization.

International Production

Series 2025 Historical, Drama 50 minutes

Chief of War follows the epic and unprecedented telling of the unification and colonisation of Hawai‘I in the late 18th century. Told from an indigenous perspective, Chief of War is a passion project for creators Jason Momoa and Thomas Pa’a Sibbett, who both share native Hawaiian heritage.

The series features a predominantly Polynesian cast, led by Momoa alongside Luciane Buchanan, Temuera Morrison, Te Ao o Hinepehinga, Cliff Curtis, newcomer Kaina Makua, Moses Goods, Siua Ikale’o, Brandon Finn, James Udom, Mainei Kinimaka,Te Kohe Tuhaka and Benjamin Hoetjes.

Chief of War is produced for Apple TV+ by FIFTH SEASON and Chernin Entertainment. Momoa directs the season finale and serves as executive producer. Doug Jung serves as showrunner and executive produces along with Sibbett, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, Tracey Cook and Brian Mendoza. Justin Chon directs the first two episodes and serves as executive producer. Anders Engstrom, Jim Rowe, Molly Allen, Francis Lawrence and Tim Van Patten also serve as executive producers.

Grammy and Academy Award winning composer, Hans Zimmer wrote the theme music and co-produced the score for all nine episodes with composer, James Everingham, during his tenure with Bleeding Fingers Music, the multiple Emmy Award-winning and BAFTA-nominated composer collective co-founded by Zimmer in 2013.