Chief of War (2025)
Starring: Jason Momoa, Temuera Morrison, Luciane Buchanan, Cliff Curtis
Created by: Jason Momoa & Thomas Paʻa Sibbett
Streaming on: Apple TV+
One island. One destiny. One chief who defied a kingdom.Set during the unification of the Hawaiian Islands in the late 18th century, Chief of War follows Kaʻiana (Jason Momoa), a Native Hawaiian warrior torn between loyalty, idenтιтy, and resistance. When colonial forces and rival chiefs threaten the soul of his people, Kaʻiana — once a trusted ally of King Kamehameha — rises as an outlaw of legend, challenging the tide of war and fate itself.
Honor clashes with empire. Brotherhood is tested by betrayal.As Kaʻiana navigates sacred traditions, brutal battles, and shifting alliances, he must reckon with his lineage and lead a rebellion that could either free his people or doom them. Alongside his brother (Temuera Morrison), his warrior wife (Luciane Buchanan), and a network of islanders and seafarers, Kaʻiana transforms into a symbol of defiance — and a threat to the very kingdom he helped build.
Filmed entirely in Hawaiʻi with a Native cast and crew, Chief of War brings a rarely seen Pacific story to life with sweeping cinematography, traditional language (ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi), and spiritual gravitas. The series balances bone-crunching action with quiet moments of ancestral wisdom, anchored by Jason Momoa’s most personal performance to date.
From the beaches to the battlegrounds, a revolution brews.Directed with cinematic scale and cultural authenticity, this is a tale of idenтιтy reclaimed and history rewritten.
Rating: 8.7/10 – Epic in scale, intimate in emotion. Chief of War doesn’t just tell a Hawaiian story — it invites you into it. A landmark in Indigenous storytelling.
“We were not conquered. We remembered who we are.”
