[Contains general spoilers for the first three seasons of Black Sails]
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An homage to pirates as they were, instead of a Disney interpretation, Black Sails is a winter staple and hit series for premium network, Starz. The series is set in the tumultuous Bahamas during the early 1700s when the British are fighting to regain control of their islands from murderers and thieving pirates. Beautiful, sweeping landscapes stand as the backdrop for dramatic, large-scale battle sequences. Additionally, Black Sails takes place before the events of the beloved book by Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island.
Even the outstanding special effects aren't enough to eclipse the talented cast. With real life famous characters like Black Beard (Ray Stevenson), Anne Bonny (Clara Padget), Jack Rackham (Toby Schimitz), and Charles Vane (Zack McGowan), Black Sails wove masterful fictional tales peppered with historical events. Fans have been given characters they loved to hate - like Dufrense (Roland Reed), Captain Hornigold (Patrick Lyster), and Ned Low (Tadhg Murphy) - alongside characters that came to a terrible end - Mr. Scott (Hakeem Kae-Kazeem), Mister Gates (Mark Ryan), Miranda Barlow (Louise Barnes) - and Black Sails has put forth some masterful leads including Long John Silver's (Luke Arnold) rise to fame and power. This Treasure Island prequel has given fans three seasons of high-quality drama, and it appears there's one more to go.
Deadline is reporting that the upcoming fourth season will be the final bow for Black Sails. Four seasons had been the magic number for Starz series until today, when the network renewed another megahit, Power, for two more seasons (taking it to five so far). Black Sails producers and co-creators, Jonathan Steinberg and Robert Levine, felt like the story had come to a perfect stopping point. Steinberg said:
"While it was a difficult decision for us to make this season our last, we simply couldn’t imagine anything beyond it that would make for a better ending to the story nor a more natural handoff to Treasure Island.”
Dedicated viewers have been treated to strong, intelligent characters, especially Max (Jessica Parker Kennedy) and Captain Flint (Toby Stephens), that were written with tremendous depth and compelling story arcs which have lead to complicated and fragile relationships throughout the series. Even Carmi Zlotnik, Starz Managing Director had nothing but praise for Black Sails:
“Jon Steinberg and Robert Levine, along with their crew and the phenomenal cast, have delivered a spectacular take on the most legendary pirate story in literature, and this final season will bring us to the shores of Treasure Island as was always intended. Black Sails has been a tremendous success..."
From the intricate carvings in the opening set and the dramatic score from award winning composer Bear McCreary, to the Cape Town, South Africa filming locations, Black Sails has been a wild ride. Certainly, fans can expect nothing less with the fourth and final season.
Black Sails' final season will air on Starz beginning in January 2017.
Source: Deadline