Apple TV+ has dropped the official teaser trailer for Chief of War — and if you’ve ever wanted to see Jason Momoa go full Braveheart in the Hawaiian Islands, this might be your moment. Take a look at the trailer above and learn more below.
Created by Momoa and longtime collaborator Thomas Pa‘a Sibbett, Chief of War is a sweeping historical drama set in the late 1700s, chronicling Hawai‘i’s unification just before the grip of Western colonisation took hold. Momoa plays Ka‘iana, a high-ranking warrior who finds himself at the centre of a growing storm. He’s a man torn between peace and bloodshed — although the trailer makes it clear where he is forced to stand.
More on Screen Realm:
“Are you still the chief who desires peace… over war?” asks Kaʻahumanu (Luciane Buchanan, The Night Agent). His answer: “Not today.”
“This is my Braveheart”
If this first look is anything to go by, Chief of War is pulling no punches. Brutal battles and sweeping make up the teaser, which introduces a cast led predominantly by Polynesian actors — including Temuera Morrison, Cliff Curtis, Te Ao o Hinepehinga, newcomer Kaina Makua, Moses Goods, Siua Ikale’o, Brandon Finn, James Udom, Mainei Kinimaka,Te Kohe Tuhaka and Benjamin Hoetjes.
For Momoa, this one’s personal. “This has been my everything,” he told GQ earlier this year. “This is my Braveheart. This is my Last of the Mohicans. […] It’s been like 25 years in the making to be able to pull off something like this.” He added, “I needed to wait until my career was in the right moment, and I needed to wait until we saved cinema with Minecraft to come back and just f—- kill it, bro! You know? And to make the Hawaiian story.”
That passion is evident in the show’s commitment to telling the story through an Indigenous lens — and in the Native Hawaiian language. It also marks a big reunion for Momoa and Apple TV+ after the success of his post-apocalyptic series See (if it managed to pass you by, I’d recommend you check that one out).
The Behind-the-Scenes Team
Spanning nine episodes, Chief of War blends political intrigue, brutal conflict, and deeply personal cultural storytelling — all powered by a sweeping score co-produced by Hans Zimmer and James Everingham.
Justin Chon (Blue Bayou) directs the opening chapters, while Momoa steps behind the camera for the finale — marking his second scripted directing credit following his 2014 indie film Road to Paloma. He also directed multiple episodes of his travel docuseries On the Roam. The series is helmed by showrunner Doug Jung (Star Trek Beyond, Banshee, Mindhunter), with a stacked executive team including Momoa, Thomas Pa‘a Sibbett, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, Tracey Cook, and Brian Mendoza.
Release Date
Apple is calling it “an epic and unprecedented telling of the unification and colonisation of Hawai‘i” — fingers crossed hoping it delivers on that bold promise.
Chief of War premieres globally on Apple TV+ with its first two episodes on August 1, 2025. New episodes will roll out weekly through to September 19.
