Chief of War

Chief of War
GenreHistorical drama
Created by
Starring
  • Jason Momoa
  • Luciane Buchanan
  • Te Ao o Hinepehinga
  • Te Kohe Tuhaka
  • Brandon Finn
  • Siua Ikaleʻo
  • Mainei Kinimaka
  • Roimata Fox
  • Keala Kahuanui-Paleka
  • Moses Goods
  • James Udom
  • Benjamin Hoetjes
  • Kaina Makua
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languagesHawaiian
English
No. of episodes4
Production
Executive producers
Production companies
Original release
NetworkApple TV+
ReleaseAugust 1, 2025 (2025-08-01) –
present

Chief of War is a Hawaiian historical drama series created by Thomas Paʻa Sibbett and Jason Momoa for Apple TV+. Momoa also stars in and executive produces the series, which premiered on August 1, 2025.

Premise

Based on true events, the story begins at the end of the 18th century when the four major kingdoms of the Hawaiian Islands were in a state of war: Hawaiʻi, Maui, Oʻahu, and Kauaʻi. The series follows Kaʻiana, a warrior chief (aliʻi) of Kauaʻi who travels outside the islands, returns home, and joins a bloody campaign until, at the last minute, he rebels against the unification of Hawaiʻi that took place from 1782 to 1810 under Kamehameha I.[1]

Cast and characters

Main

Supporting

Additionally, several New Zealand All-Blacks members including Piri Weepu, Frank Bunce, Kees Meeuws, Troy Flavell, Liam Messam, and Ofa Tuʻungafasi cameo as background characters in the first episode.[4]

Production

According to Thomas Paʻa Sibbett, he and Jason Momoa came up with the idea for Chief of War in 2015;[2] it was initially conceived as a feature film focusing on Kamehameha before switching to the point of view of Kaʻiana instead.[5] It was announced in April 2022 that Apple TV+ had ordered an eight-episode miniseries, with Momoa set to star in and executive produce.[6] Justin Chon was set to direct two episodes of the series that same month.[7] Momoa and Sibbett co-wrote all episodes, with assistance on Hawaiian language dialogue provided by staff of Awaiaulu, an archiving and translation company based in Honolulu. Cultural advisors were appointed in every production department to achieve as high a degree of authenticity as possible, even as far as building war vessels (waʻa) from scratch using real local materials and historical techniques.[2]

Hans Zimmer and James Everingham collaborated with musician Kaumakaiwa Kanakaʻole for the soundtrack that incorporated traditional instruments.[8]

Casting announcements in October and November revealed that Temuera Morrison, Luciane Buchanan, Te Ao o Hinepehinga, Kaina Makua, Moses Goods, Siua Ikaleʻo, Brandon Finn, James Udom, Mainei Kinimaka, and Te Kohe Tuhaka had joined the cast.[9][10][11] Cliff Curtis would join in a recurring role in February 2023.[12] Buchanan had auditioned prior through a long-distance Zoom table reading from Los Angeles with Momoa.[3] Kaina Makua had no prior acting experience and was a taro farmer and canoe racing coach before being recommended by both Momoa and later a cultural advisor to Sibbett.[2][5][13]

Filming for the series began by October 2022 in New Zealand, with Bay of Islands being used to stand in for 18th century Hawaiʻi.[14] Major battle scenes were filmed from middle November to December in the lava fields of Kalapana;[15] filming still continued when Mauna Loa erupted for the first time in more than three decades during this period.[8]

Episodes

No.Title [16]Directed byWritten by [16]Original release date [1]
1"The Chief of War"Justin ChonThomas Paʻa Sibbett & Jason MomoaAugust 1, 2025 (2025-08-01)
2"Changing Tides"Justin ChonThomas Paʻa Sibbett & Jason Momoa and Doug JungAugust 1, 2025 (2025-08-01)
3"City of Flowers"Anders Engström & Brian Andrew MendozaThomas Paʻa Sibbett & Jason Momoa and Doug JungAugust 8, 2025 (2025-08-08)
4"City of Flowers, Part II"Anders Engström & Brian Andrew MendozaThomas Paʻa Sibbett & Jason Momoa and Doug JungAugust 15, 2025 (2025-08-15)
5"The Race of the Gods"TBAThomas Paʻa Sibbett & Jason Momoa and Doug JungAugust 22, 2025 (2025-08-22)
6"The Splintered Paddle"TBAThomas Paʻa Sibbett & Jason Momoa and Doug JungAugust 29, 2025 (2025-08-29)
7"Day of Spilled Brains"TBAThomas Paʻa Sibbett & Jason Momoa and Doug JungSeptember 5, 2025 (2025-09-05)
8"The Sacred Niu Grove"TBAThomas Paʻa Sibbett & Jason Momoa and Doug JungSeptember 12, 2025 (2025-09-12)
9"The Black Desert"Jason Momoa[17]Thomas Paʻa Sibbett & Jason MomoaSeptember 19, 2025 (2025-09-19)

Release

The series debuted its first two episodes on August 1, 2025, with new episodes premiering weekly thereafter until September 19, 2025.[1]

Despite the series having initially been announced as a limited miniseries, Momoa and Sibbett stated in July 2025 that a second and third season could possibly be greenlit in September.[18]

Reception

The series holds an 92% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 39 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Starring Jason Momoa at his ferocious best, Chief of War is a brutal epic that recreates Native Hawaiian history with commendable authenticity."[19] On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the series holds a score of 72/100 based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[20]

Notes

  1. ^ Partially based on the historical figure of Wynee.
  2. ^ A composite character merging the historical figures of Keōua Kūʻahuʻula and his brother Kīwalaʻō. This Keōua is also not to be confused with another historical figure of the same name, the father of Kamehameha I, who died c. the 1750s–1760s, two to three decades prior to when this series is set.

References

  1. ^ a b c Otterson, Joe (March 31, 2025). "Jason Momoa Series 'Chief of War' Sets Release Date at Apple TV+". Variety. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Mancini, Vince (April 16, 2025). "Is 'Chief of War' the Next 'Game of Thrones'? Inside Jason Momoa's Polynesian Passion Project". GQ. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  3. ^ a b Yee, Hannah-Rose. "Royal Gains". Vogue Australia. No. July 2025. pp. 56–7.
  4. ^ Reyrat, David (August 12, 2025). "Rugby: Weepu, Messam, Meeuws…, plusieurs All Blacks au casting de la série Chief of War (en images)". Sport. Le Figaro (in French).
  5. ^ a b Ubay, Jason (June 11, 2025). "Why 'Chief of War' showrunners chose a kalo farmer, not Jason Momoa, to play Kamehameha". Hawai'i Public Radio. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  6. ^ Petski, Denise (April 4, 2022). "Jason Momoa To Headline Chief Of War Limited Series For Apple TV+". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  7. ^ Otterson, Joe (April 14, 2022). "Jason Momoa Apple Series 'Chief of War' Sets 'Pachinko's' Justin Chon to Direct (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Mangalindan, J. P. (August 1, 2025). "The True Story Behind Hawaiian History Epic 'Chief of War'". TIME.
  9. ^ Petski, Denise (October 19, 2022). "Temuera Morrison Joins Jason Momoa In Chief Of War Limited Series At Apple TV+". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  10. ^ Otterson, Joe (November 16, 2022). "Jason Momoa Apple Series Chief of War Casts Luciane Buchanan (Exclusive)". Variety. Penske Media Corporation.
  11. ^ Petski, Denise (November 17, 2022). "Jason Momoa Apple Series 'Chief Of War' Adds Eight To Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  12. ^ Petski, Denise (February 3, 2023). "Cliff Curtis Joins Jason Momoa's Apple Series Chief Of War As Recurring". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  13. ^ Nabarro, Moanikeʻala (July 15, 2025). "Jason Momoa casts UH alum in Chief of War TV series". University of Hawaiʻi News. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
  14. ^ de Graaf, Peter (October 3, 2022). "Rāwhiti abuzz as Aquaman star Jason Momoa welcomed to Bay of Islands". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  15. ^ Lum, Stephanie (December 15, 2022). "Jason Momoa wraps filming in Hawaii for new series". Hawaii News Now. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Chief of War". Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  17. ^ "Apple TV+ unveils first look at star, executive producer and writer Jason Momoa in the epic new drama "Chief of War," premiering globally Friday, August 1, 2025". Apple TV+ Press. March 31, 2025. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
  18. ^ Richardson, Mahealani (July 22, 2025). "'Talk about representation': Jason Momoa describes uphill battle to produce 'Chief of War'". Hawaii News Now. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
  19. ^ "Chief of War: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  20. ^ "Chief of War Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
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