‘Our Flag Means Death’ Creator Wants Back In: Fans Could Save Pirate Rom-Com - Inside the Magic (2024)

The lively pirate-office comedy-romance series Our Flag Means Death, created by David Jenkins, premiered in 2022 to widespread critical acclaim. With an impressive 95% critic score and 96% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes (at the time of writing), the show quickly developed a passionate and loyal fan base.

The show’s irreverent and chaotic humor was brought to life by an outstanding cast, including Rhys Darby as Stede Bonnet, a British gentleman from Barbados, and Taika Waititi, known for directing the Thor films over at The Walt Disney Company’s Marvel Studios, as Edward Teach (or Ed Teach), AKA the infamous pirate Blackbeard.

‘Our Flag Means Death’ Creator Wants Back In: Fans Could Save Pirate Rom-Com - Inside the Magic (1)

Related: Disney Stands Firm on Diverse Storytelling For Younger Audiences

Loosely inspired by the true story of Stede Bonnet, the “Gentleman Pirate,” the series is set in 1717 and follows Bonnet as he abandons his privileged life in Barbados to pursue a life of piracy.

As Darby’s Bonnet fumbles through his early pirating days aboard his self-built Queen Anne’s Revenge, he faces threats from warships and rival pirates, setting up a comedic, swashbuckling adventure. The plot takes an unexpected turn when Bonnet and his crew encounter the fearsome pirate captain Blackbeard — leading to unlikely romance and even more unlikely adventures with their misfit crew.

Saying Goodbye to Our Flag Means Death

With the conclusion of Season 2 last year, fans’ worst fears were confirmed when creator Jenkins confirmed on social media that Our Flag Means Death had officially been canceled:

I’m very sad I won’t set foot on the Revenge again with my friends, some of whom have become close to family. But I couldn’t be more grateful for being allowed to captain the damn thing in the first place.

‘Our Flag Means Death’ Creator Wants Back In: Fans Could Save Pirate Rom-Com - Inside the Magic (2)

The #SaveOFMD Campaign

The #SaveOFMD movement represents a mixture of relentless fan passion for a beloved project alongside widespread dissatisfaction with Warner Bros. and its executives. This hashtag was central to the “Renew Our Flag Means Death” campaign, which fans of Our Flag Means Death mobilized under to campaign for the show’s renewal.

The campaign’s efforts included everything from coordinated phone calls to Warner Bros. offices demanding renewal of the series, to purchasing ad space in Times Square to spread the “Save Our Flag Means Death” message far and wide. This united and dogged effort from fans of the series captured the attention of the show’s cast and crew.

The campaign spawned everything from a dedicated website and center of operations with a strong presence across nearly all major social media platforms, to a Change.org petition garnering nearly 90,000 signatures.

Leading the charge was the consolidated fan group “Renew as a Crew” — a nod to the show’s recurring joke of the pirates on the Revenge doing things “as a crew.”

After multiple attempts to push for renewal, and despite all those fan efforts appearing to hit home with so many, Jenkins himself finally confirmed the “end of the road” for the series on Instagram, with a description accompanying a picture of a pirate flag sketched into the wet sand on a beach:

I can officially confirm that we’ve reached the end of the road. At least as far as this sweet show is concerned. After many complimentary meetings, conversations, etc it seems there is no alternate home for our crew. Thank you to all of you who sent us out with tremendous love and care. Your campaign was noticed across the industry. But more importantly it made all of us who worked on this show better able to deal with the loss.

To you wonderful fans: thank you. You are lovely and earnest. Those kinds of things feel in short supply at times. But they aren’t. A love like ours can’t disappear in an instant. When we see each other off in mystic, say hello. We won’t say goodbye, because we’re not leaving. We’re just taking a breather until next time we can share something together 💜🦄🏴‍☠️

Is #SaveOFMD Actually Back Again?

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Related: Fans Declare War Against Warner Bros., Light Up Times Square for Beloved Show

Now, however, it seems like Jenkins is singing a bit of a different tune — and a third season of the series could very well be back in the cards.

Taking to X/Twitter, the showrunner addressed the recent one-year anniversary of the premiere of Season 2:

David Jenkins: Think that’s it’s the pinnacle of luck to get to make something with people you like. And getting to share it with people who appreciate it.

@Slow Piracy (quoted) I would like to know how @david_jenkins__ is spending this day of commemoration for season 2 of Our Flag Means Death

Think that’s it’s the pinnacle of luck to get to make something with people you like. And getting to share it with people who appreciate it. https://t.co/95KKYDMRzk

— David Jenkins (@david_jenkins__) October 5, 2024

But he didn’t stop there. When a fan commented on this tweet, Jenkins confirmed that he would never fully “rule out a return to this show.” He then put out an open invitation to any interested networks willing to buy the rights to the fan-favorite program:

@rose_reluctant: So happy to be on this ride you built. I hope it gets to go round the track one more time. ❤️

David Jenkins: There are no official plans to go again, but I know most if not all of us would do it again in a heartbeat. We miss each other and this world.

There’s a sizable time jump between S2 and a theoretical S3. Until it’s ridiculous or totally impossible, I will never rule out a return to this show. If ever a network’s buying I’m in.

There’s a sizable time jump between S2 and a theoretical S3. Until it’s ridiculous or totally impossible, I will never rule out a return to this show. If ever a network’s buying I’m in.

— David Jenkins (@david_jenkins__) October 5, 2024

The fans came out in full support following this message — from fans thanking Jenkins for his transparency and seemingly bottomless love for the series and appreciation for the fans, to fans making statements of never-ending commitment themselves:

@korps: I think you’re stuck with us forever regardless, hope that’s okay ❤️

I think you're stuck with us forever regardless, hope that's okay ❤️

— angie banshee 👻🌈🏴‍☠️🦄 (@korps) October 5, 2024

@ofmdframes: and we’ll never stop asking networks to buy

and we’ll never stop asking networks to buy

— Our Flag Means Death Frames (@ofmdframes) October 5, 2024

User @DamGoodMarmlade shared how this new approach to Season 3 might just be the ticket, storytelling-wise:

As a person who’s been married for over a decade, I’m super interested in seeing more stories about long term love. The way we change and grow and fight and stick together through alll of it. I’d love to see our leads play this out onscreen. One day 🫶

As a person who’s been married for over a decade, I’m super interested in seeing more stories about long term love. The way we change and grow and fight and stick together through alll of it. I’d love to see our leads play this out onscreen. One day 🫶

— Damn Good Marmalade 🍊 (@DamGoodMarmlade) October 5, 2024

But perhaps fan @politestmenace put it best:

So relieved to hear this, honestly. There’s no amount of time between what we have and what could come later that would be too long. We’ll be here, ready to do anything we can, always loving the beautiful world and characters you all created 🫡🏴‍☠️❤️

So relieved to hear this, honestly. There’s no amount of time between what we have and what could come later that would be too long. We’ll be here, ready to do anything we can, always loving the beautiful world and characters you all created 🫡🏴‍☠️❤️

— R | Politest Menace 🏴‍☠️🍊| P&R🤺| Bug Boys🪲|📌 (@politestmenace) October 5, 2024

Could a steady stream of continual fan support do anything to set the beloved show sailing again? Perhaps.

The Luciferseries, starring Tom Ellis as the titular Lucifer, made its way from Fox to Netflix, while Netflix and Marvel’sDaredevilseries, starring Charlie Cox as Daredevil/Matt Murdock, saw a comeback (and ultimate canonization) in the modern Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and will find a new home on Disney+ (Disney Plus) very soon.

A new fan campaign appears to have started in the meantime, to get the series onto Netflix for a final season:

@harlansemporium: @netflix Here that? Come on, you know you want to!!! #SupNetflix

@netflix Here that? Come on, you know you want to!!! #SupNetflix

— Harlan's Emporium #SaveOFMD #CrewForLife (@harlansemporium) October 5, 2024

Did you watch Our Flag Means Death? Would you want to see a Season 3? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

More on Our Flag Means Death

Joining Taika Waititi’s Blackbeard/Ed Teach and Rhys Darby’s Stede Bonnet are Ewen Bremner as Nathaniel Buttons, Joel Fry as Frenchie, Samson Kayo as Oluwande Boodhari, Nathan Foad as Lucius Spriggs, Vico Ortiz as Jim Jimenez, Matthew Maher as Black Pete, Kristian Nairn as Wee John Feeney, Nat Faxon as The Swede, David Fane as Kevin/Fang, Samba Schutte as Roach, and Con O’Neill as Blackbeard’s first mate, Israel “Izzy” Hands.

In Season 1, Rory Kinnear portrayed Captain Nigel Badminton, with Guz Khan as Ivan and Fred Armisen as Geraldo.

Season 2 expanded Leslie Jones’ role as Spanish Jackie and introduced Ruibo Qian as Zheng Yi Sao, Madeleine Sami as Archie, Anapela Polataivao as Auntie, and Erroll Shand as the villain Richard Banes/Ricky Barnes.

More on Warner Bros. Entertainment

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., founded in 1923, is a leading global entertainment company specializing in producing and distributing films, television shows, and music. Over the decades, it has grown into one of the world’s most successful media enterprises, renowned for its rich history and iconic franchises, including Harry Potter, the DC Universe (DCU), and The Lord of the Rings.

Beyond its involvement in film and television production, Warner Bros. (now part of Warner Media) owns the MAX (formerly HBO Max) streaming service and showcases many of its properties in Universal Studios theme parks worldwide.

‘Our Flag Means Death’ Creator Wants Back In: Fans Could Save Pirate Rom-Com - Inside the Magic (2024)
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