Jason Momoa Goes Inside That Epic Ending to ‘Chief of War’

One Volcano After Another: Designing a Legendary Battle Sequence for the ‘Chief of War’ Finale

The “Chief of War” finale, Episode 9 on the Apple TV+ series, is called “The Black Desert.” And director Jason Momoa does not hold back when it comes to just how “black” and “desert”-like that setting is for the show’s climactic, 30-plus-minute battle between the forces of Hawaii and Maui. The clash sees Cliff Curtis’ spurned chieftain Keōua, now high on his own supply as the chosen of the volcano Gods, on the one side; then, Kaina Makua’s reluc…

Jason Momoa Goes Inside That Epic Ending to ‘Chief of War’

Co-creator Thomas Pa’a Sibbett and co-stars Te Ao o Hinepehinga and Cliff Curtis also speak with THR about shooting the Apple TV+ drama's finale in Hawai’i’s “Black Desert” as two nearby volcanoes erupted in real life: “It was the biggest, most beautiful omen.”

‘Chief of War’ Finale: Jason Momoa and His Co-Creators on That Epic, Brutal Lava Field Battle

"Everyone thought it was mad except for my partners,” Momoa says of the gory season finale set piece, staged in the shadow of an active volcano.