The new television series “Chief of War,” which stars Jason Momoa, is set to premiere Friday, Aug. 1, on Apple TV+. It tells the story of Kaʻiana, played by Momoa, as he tries to unify the Islands before Western colonization in the late 18th century.
The first two episodes drop Aug. 1, with an additional episode appearing every Friday through Sept. 19. The show was written and executive produced by Momoa and Thomas Pa‘a Sibbett (known for “Braven” in 2018, “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” in 2023, and “The Last Manhunt” in 2022, which star Momoa).
The cast features Luciane Buchanan, Temuera Morrison, Te Ao o Hinepehinga, Cliff Curtis, Kaina Makua, Moses Goods, Siua Ikale‘o, Brandon Finn, James Udom, Mainei Kinimaka and Te Kohe Tuhaka, along with executive producer and showrunner Doug Jung, executive producer and director Justin Chon, and executive producers Jim Rowe, Brian Andrew Mendoza, Jenno Topping and Tracey Cook, according to representatives of Apple TV+.
Angie Laprete and Brian Keaulana, who are producers for the series, spoke with Aloha State Daily ahead of the premiere. The series, which is set in Hawaiʻi, was filmed mostly in New Zealand. Momoa and producers had wanted to film everything in Hawaiʻi but couldn’t due to budget issues, Keaulana said.
“Being producers, we get to guide and show the path of how do you operate in Hawaiʻi,” Keaulana said. “For one thing, we operate from a stance of values that we've grown up with. We operate from asking permission before we get permits. It's really from grassroots all the way to the highest level, to the executives, just educating everybody from the top down and the bottom up.”
He was the water unit director on this show.
“We have a great team of experts that I fly all over the world with, and we bring our culture with us,” he said. “I say, ʻWe're not divided by land, but we connected by water, so no matter where we go in the world, the ocean is our home.ʻ”
“Chief of War” was created from 101 days of filming in New Zealand in addition to 32 days of filming on Hawaiʻi Island, Oʻahu or Maui, Laprete said.
“When you see the film, there's so much to talk about,” Keaulana said. “Just the beauty, the actions, the acting.”
A dozen or more cultural advisors were brought on board to help with the show, Laprete added. They provided advice for costumes, as well as the canoe and battle scenes. This was in addition to the language team, she said.
Laprete and Keaulana are also founders of the Hawaiʻi Film Alliance, which launched July 14, to advocate for more film production in Hawaiʻi.
“When you hire local, this is where the opportunities begin, because it involves workforce development,” Laprete said.
Keaulana and Momoa’s genealogy runs all the way back to King Kamehameha, he noted. Others in the film are related to King Kahekili. Actors were often placed next to characters representing their family because “when you see that on film, it permeates just how proud they are representing their bloodline,” Keaulana said.
“We want to see more of that,” Laprete said. “The joy for me was just being able to bring all the elements together into production like this. Because when you see the actual show, you're proud. You're like: ʻOh my God, we did this — together.”
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Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
