'Crossbones' Trailer: John Malkovich Is NBC's Blackbeard

As we've seen over the past few years, Disney's had some trouble getting a new Pirates of the Caribbean movie off the ground. In the meantime, though, TV's been more than happy to fill that watery niche — first with Starz's Black Sails, and now with NBC's Crossbones.

The Peacock has just released the first Crossbones trailer, which stars John Malkovich as the legendary pirate Blackbeard. As if that's not promising enough, Crossbones also happens to be the creation of Neil Cross, who was behind the acclaimed British drama Luther. Watch the video after the jump.

Honestly, Crossbones had me at "starring John Malkovich as Blackbeard." And the trailer is no letdown. Malkovich's performance looks kooky, colorful, and thoroughly entertaining. But the rest of it looks pretty fun, too, with a high-stakes plotline involving a mysterious physician (Richard Coyle), an epic treasure hunt, and as much sex and violence as NBC can get away with.

Crossbones premieres May 30.

It's 1715 on the Bahamian island of Santa Campana, the ?rst functioning democracy in the Americas, where the diabolical pirate Edward Teach, aka Blackbeard (John Malkovich), reigns over a rogue nation of thieves, outlaws and miscreant sailors. Part shantytown and part marauder's paradise, this is a place like no other on Earth – and a mounting threat to international commerce.

Teach/Blackbeard has set his sights on the world's first longitude chronometer, a device that will change society, sea-trade and global business. In a massive attack on an English vessel, Blackbeard attempts to steal the device; however, Tom Lowe, an English spy working undercover as the ship's surgeon, destroys the chronometer before it can fall into his hands. Taken as prisoner to Santa Campana Island, Lowe must find a way to reassemble the precious device, all while trying to unfold Blackbeard's plan... a plan that includes a threat to the English throne even worse than pirates.

From the award-winning creator of "Luther," Neil Cross, and award-winning executive producers Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald ("Gladiator," "Men in Black") comes an extraordinary action adventure with an unexpected moral center where one can't be sure whether the pirates or the British crown are the villains. One-hour drama.