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NBC has confirmed that it has picked up a new pirate-themed series from Luther creator Neil Cross.



The network was recently said to be in talks to fast-track the drama past the pilot stage, and executive Robert Greenblatt has now officially announced the plans at their upfronts presentation today (May 14).

Crossbones will be an adaptation of Colin Woodard's book The Republic of Pirates, which is set during the 'golden age of piracy' in the early 1700s and follows the adventures of legendary pirate Blackbeard.

Husband and wife duo Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald (The Kite Runner, Men in Black) will produce the project, which will contain 10 episodes.

It is expected to premiere on NBC in March 2013, with casting announcements to be made in the coming weeks.

The plot of the drama will be set in 1715 on the Bahamian island of New Providence, where pirate Edward Teach (Blackbeard) is the leader of a group of thieves and outlaws.

Tom Lowe, an undercover assassin, is sent into the pirates' lair to take down Blackbeard. However, Lowe finds the mission more difficult than he expected, and begins to respect the pirate leader.

Crossbones is the second project to be fast-tracked to series after Bryan Fuller's Silence of the Lambs prequel Hannibal.