'Black Sails' renewed before it has even premiered

Starz is a big fan of showing early confidence in its programming. Magic City was notably renewed for a second season just before its premiere aired and Da Vinci’s Demons earned a Season 2 renewal just after its premiere did well on the subscription cable network. This time around, Starz isn’t even bothering to wait until close to release time to announce a renewal. So confident in Michael Bays new pirate show is Starz, it's ordered a second season before the first one has even aired.

‘Black Sails’ comes from ‘Jericho‘ creator Jon Steinberg, and stars ‘Die Another Day’ villain Toby Stephens as the iconic Captain Flint and ‘Shameless‘ vet Zach McGowan as Captain Charles Vane. It centers on the tales of Flint and his men 20 years prior to Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel. Flint takes on his crew the fast-talking John Silver (Luke Arnold) as they fight for the survival of New Providence Island, a criminal haven full of pirates, prostitutes and thieves, defined by ideals and brutality.

"Executive producers Michael Bay, Jon Steinberg and their teams delivered a spectacular first season of Black Sails, and we are incredibly proud of everyone's work," said Starz CEO Chris Albrecht. "Based on the strong fan response to the preview screening at last week's Comic-Con, we felt an early order for a second season would allow the writers, cast and crew enough time and space to continue crafting such unique and epic storytelling."

Premiering January 2014, the story is essentially a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson's classic "Treasure Island."

First season trailer: