Watch: John Malkovich Takes to the High Seas of TV in the First Trailer for NBC’s Pirate Series ‘Crossbones’

Despite maintaining his white goatee, the two-time Oscar nominee John Malkovich stars in the upcoming NBC series “Crossbones” as Blackbeard, the notorious pirate king who appears to be in command of his own island in the summer show’s first trailer. 

The two-and-a-half minute preview features more memorable moments than should be included in a first look — it’s rather overwhelming — but Malkovich remains the standout. Starting the trailer with a bit of narration about the nature of God and closing it with a confidant toast to his frenemy, Malkovich doesn’t appear to be chewing as much scenery as one might expect for an NBC summer series about pirates. His accent is most definitely his own, just with a twist of joyful malice, and he’s moving with more pep in his step than his summer 2013 action comedy “Red 2.” It’s foolish to speculate much further regarding the merits of his performance, but color us intrigued.

“Crossbones” co-stars Richard Coyle as an English spy determined to keep a world-altering device out of Blackbeard’s hands. He’s taken prisoner and shipped to a Bahamian Island filled with pirates, keeping himself alive by posing as a physician. The set design looks expensive as do many of the colorful and action-filled sequences in the trailer below. Take a look for yourself and tell us if it’s enough — or more than enough — to get you to tune in May 30th for the premiere.