Hugh Laurie in Talks to Star as Blackbeard in NBC Pirate Drama CROSSBONES

After taking some well-earned time off following the series finale of the long-running drama House, M.D., it looks as if Hugh Laurie is ready to jump back into television.  Deadline reports that Laurie is in negotiations to star in NBC’s drama pilot Crossbones.  The action-adventure series comes from Luther creator Neil Cross and takes place in 1715 on the Bahamian island of New Providence.  The story follows pirate Edward Teach, aka Blackbeard, as he reigns over “the rogue nation of thieves, outlaws, and miscreant sailors.  Part shantytown, part marauder’s paradise, this is a place like no other on earth – and a mounting threat to international commerce.”

Cross wrote the script and will executive produce alongside Walter Parkes, Laurie MacDonald, and Ted Gold.  Laurie is poised to star as the legendary pirate Blackbeard in the 10-episode run, a role for which he’ll be using his native British accent.  Pirates are apparently in this pilot season, as Michael Bay is developing a pirate series of his own for Starz called Black Sails.