‘Game of Thrones’ Season 2 Director To Helm Michael Bay’s ‘Black Sails’ For Starz

When you think of all the expertly-directed period naval battles we saw on TV this past year, all...one...of them, one specific example comes to mind: 'Game of Thrones' season 2 episode "Blackwater!" Seen as one of the best battle sequences ever put on TV, the episodes direction seems to have caught the attention of Starz and Michael Bay, who've hired the man behind the camera to direct their new 'Treasure Island' prequel 'Black Sails!'

'Game of Thrones' season 2 director Neil Marshall has just lined up his next gig, and no, it isn't a return to features like 'The Descent.'  Instead, the "Blackwater" director will next direct the pilot episode of Michael Bay's eight-episode Starz project 'Black Sails,' a prequel to the classic Robert Louis Stevensen novel 'Treasure Island.'

The series, from ‘Jericho‘ creator Jon Steinberg, centers on the tales of Captain Flint and his men, taking place twenty years prior to Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel.  From the official description:

Flint, the most brilliant and most feared pirate captain of his day, takes on a fast-talking young addition to his crew who goes by the name John Silver.  Threatened with extinction on all sides, they fight for the survival of New Providence Island, the most notorious criminal haven of its day – a debauched paradise teeming with pirates, prostitutes, thieves and fortune seekers, a place defined by both its enlightened ideals and its stunning brutality.

Currently in pre-production in Cape Town, South Africa, it's possible that Starz will want to launch the series in 2014 to take over after 'Spartacus: War of the Damned' closes out the series.

What say you?  Can Marshall  handle small-screen pirate action on the high seas, or are his explosive attentions best left to film?’  How will ‘Black Sails’ fit in with Starz’ other period pieces like ‘Spartacus‘ and ‘Magic City?’  Tell us if ‘Black Sails’ captures your interest in the comments below!