Fred Armisen to Appear on HBO Max’s Pirate Comedy “Our Flag Means Death”

Fred Armisen is raising some flags

The 54-year-old half-Venezuelan American actor has joined the cast of HBO Max’s pirate comedy Our Flag Means Death, joining stars Rhys Darby and Taika Waititi.

Fred Armisen

The series hails from writer David Jenkins, Garrett Basch and Dan Halsted.

Created by Jenkins, who also serves as showrunner, Our Flag Means Death is based loosely on the true adventures of Stede Bonnet (Darby), a pampered aristocrat who abandoned his life of privilege to become a pirate.

Armisen joins the cast in a recurring role. Details about his character have not been revealed.

The ensemble cast also includes Ewen Bremner, David Fane, Nat Faxon, Nathan Foad, Joel Fry, Leslie Jones, Samson Kayo, Guz Khan, Rory Kinnear, Matt Maher, Kristian Nairn, Con O’Neill and Vico Ortiz.

Our Flag Means Death is executive produced by Waititi, Jenkins, Basch and Halsted.

Armisen’s recent credits include PortlandiaLos Espookys and Documentary Now!

Helena Bonham Carter to Star in BBC Two’s Virtual Staging of Pantomime Classic “Cinderella”

It’ll be a wicked Christmas for Helena Bonham Carter.

The part-Spanish actress will star opposite her The Crown co-star Olivia Colman in a socially distanced, virtual staging of pantomime classic Cinderella for BBC Two, with Richard Curtis executive producing.

Helena Bonham Carter

Bonham Carter and Colman will perform from the safety of their homes for the Comic Relief special, which airs on Christmas Eve and will be brought to life with illustrations from iconic children’s illustrator Quentin Blake.

Colman plays the fairy godmother, while Bonham Carter features as the wicked stepmother Lady Devilia. Meanwhile, the breakout star of Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, Anya Taylor-Joy, will play the title role.

Other cast includes The Night Manager star Tom Hollander and Guz Khan as Baron Hardup and Buttons respectively. Daisy May and Charlie Cooper, the stars and creators of This Country, have been cast as the evil step-sisters. The pair are siblings in real-life.

Written by the Dawson Brothers, and based on an original script by Ben CrockerCinderella: A Comic Relief Pantomime for Christmas will be a retelling of the timeless panto classic. It is made by Crook Productions.

Curtis said: “It’ll be very funny and merry — and also a great seasonal opportunity to raise crucial funds for the projects that will help the most vulnerable people, at home and abroad — especially now when Covid has made things harder than ever for many.”

The BBC has promised other starry cameos, including an “incredibly famous person wearing an incredibly unconvincing horse costume.”