'Chief of War' stars Jason Momoa as a warrior unifying Hawai’i

Jason Momoa and Thomas Pa’a Sibbett dreamt of a space where they could entertain audiences while educating them.

The native Hawaiians never stopped pushing for their passion project, “Chief of War,” which they cultivated for years.

The series is currently streaming on Apple TV+ with a new episode released Fridays through Sept. 19.

“When people come from far and wide to spend time in Hawai’i, they fall in love with it, because there’s something special,” Momoa says. “It’s an umbilical cord to the center of the Earth. But many people have no idea of our history.”

“Chief of War” is based on true events and follows warrior Ka’iana, played by Momoa, as he tries to unify the islands before Western colonization in the late 18th century.

Momoa intended the cast of “Chief of War” to be predominantly Polynesian and cast actors from Hawai’i, Aotearoa (New Zealand) and Tonga. The ensemble cast includes 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.

The Hawaiians are directly related to the Maori, Tahitians and Rapanuians, and Momoa notes that these cultures have much in common.

“We’re not separated by land, but connected by water,” Momoa says. “We have a sense of responsibility to support our cousins.”

The urge to dramatize the history of their home is what inspired the producing team, including Momoa and Sibbett, alongside Brian Mendoza.

“We always wanted to make a big epic in the tradition of ‘Braveheart’ and ‘The Last of the Mohicans,’ but about Hawai’i,” Momoa says.

Sibbett says the origins of the show go back to when he and Momoa were asked to do a story about King Kamehameha.

“A light went off in my head — we could tell the story of the unification of Hawai’i through another character, and Ka’iana was a perfect fit,” Sibbett says.

Sibbett says Ka’iana is a kind of complex, intriguing character with a real and rich history to draw from that makes a perfect vehicle for a scripted series.

“He was the first chief of Hawai’i to travel outside of the islands, visiting the outside world and coming to understand what was out there and what was coming,” Sibbett says. “He understood the inner workings of the politics of the time in Hawai’i, but added new knowledge of what was beyond their shores, and joined Kamehameha’s fight to unite the islands. Ka’iana is the type of character that Jason was born to play.”

Momoa says Ka’iana was a Hawaiian warrior who risked everything for his land and his people, and helped King Kamehameha fulfill his prophecy of unifying the islands as one. “Ka’iana is fearless, he’s devoted, he’s a visionary, and his journey is full of action, drama, and romance. This is an amazing story about the unification of the Hawaiian islands brought to life on a massive scale,” Momoa says. “It’s mind-blowing to be able to tell this incredible story of my ancestors and to get to do it with an amazing cast and a brilliant team with me behind the camera.”

'Chief of War' stars Jason Momoa as a warrior unifying Hawai’i