Modern life is woefully lacking in opportunities to go swashbuckling on the high seas, but we can always get some open ocean escapism on our screens.
No, this isn’t an ode to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise or even a dirge for Our Flag Means Death. This is about Netflix’s latest addition to its vast archives, the TV epic Sandokan.
The new eight-parter is a good old tale of romance and adventure, set against the colonial backdrop of the British Empire in 19th-century Asia.
Based upon the novels of Emilio Salgari, the glossy melodrama stars Turkish actor Can Yaman as the pirate hero Sandokan, who sails the South China Sea with his right-hand man Yanez (Alessandro Preziosi) and their crew.
But one day, while robbing the Sultan of Brunei (the norm), Sandokan frees a prisoner with an air of mystery, who prophesies the pirate will free his people from oppression.
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Sandokan attempts to enact this and protect the Dayak people, leading him into the firing line of the British army and into the heart of his love interest on the show.
John Hannah would love to make more Sandokan
Gabriel Tate spoke to John Hannah for our 60 Seconds interview series…
The show initially aired in 2025 on Disney Plus, but has now hit the huge subscriber base on Netflix, so could there be another season? Hannah is certainly up for it.
The 63-year-old told Metro the show offers a much-needed place to find escapism, but is also relevant to current conversations about colonialism.
‘It’s a good old-fashioned love story with adventure and pirates and the British Army,’ he said before adding: ‘[It] certainly has resonances with the imperialist behaviour we’re still seeing with oil and rare minerals.’
Hannah is something of a jack-of-all-trades, having gone from working as an electrician to acting in Four Weddings and a Funeral and now offering his pipes to narrate Race Across The World.
But which character is closest to who he actually is? ‘Maybe a cross between Jonathan from The Mummy and Batiatus from Spartacus,’ he told us.
‘When I was young, anger, determination and bloody-mindedness were huge motivators. For my first big TV job, a series called Brond, I remember they were late back from lunch before my audition, I was pissed off and we had a row. But I got the job!’
The consul’s daughter Marianne (Alanah Bloor) falls for Sandokan, despite the best efforts of her minder Sergeant Murray, played by The Mummy’s John Hannah.
Marianne’s beauty has earned her the title of the ‘Pearl of Labuan’, which sounds super feminist, and also like it might mean Sandokan isn’t the only one vying for her attention.
There’s also Lord James Brooke (Ed Westwick), a pirate hunter who’s chasing down both Sandokan and Marianne’s affections.
Which of them will win out? You’ll have to tune in to the picturesque epic, which currently holds a 6.9 rating out of 10 on IMDb.
There, viewers of Sandokan have praised the modern update, after a TV adaptation first aired in 1976, even if some have criticised certain casting calls.
In one fan’s write-up, they described Yaman’s performance as ‘fully convincing and heartfelt’, adding: ‘He seems born for this role! Measured, immersed in the story, intense… an absolute must-see!’
Another wrote: ‘An extremely interesting and dynamic series! The story unfolds in such an exciting way that every episode ending makes you want to keep watching more and more.
‘At the beginning, I was a bit sceptical, but the series pleasantly surprised me… I definitely recommend watching it – you won’t regret it.’
Will you be adding Sandokan to your watchlist?
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No doubt
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I'm less sure
Sandokan is available to stream on Netflix.
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