The Mummy icon reveals why his show Sandokan is "good old-fashioned family drama" – but with an important message
The pirate epic "resonates on the idea of empire and ownership..."
Italian pirate drama Sandokan, based on Emilio Salgari's novels that inspired a 1976 TV series and a children's cartoon, has been adapted once again, debuting last year and now streaming on Netflix.
The cast includes a number of recognisable faces, including The Mummy's John Hannah, who has described it as "a really good old-fashioned family type drama, with a beautiful love story at the centre of it."
Set in mid-19th-century Borneo, the series is led by Turkish actor Can Yaman (Erkenci Kuş) as pirate Sandokan, who is fighting to keep his crew alive while under British colonial rule.
"When he meets Marianna (newcomer Alanah Bloor), the daughter of the British consul (Line of Duty's Owen Teale), their romance draws him into conflict with fanatical pirate-hunter Lord James Brooke (Gossip Girl's Ed Westwick), who has ambitions of his own," the official synopsis adds.
"As British oppression of the Dayak people intensifies, Sandokan is called upon to become more than a pirate – and rise as the legendary Tiger of Malaya."
But while it's a "kind of rainy Sunday afternoon watch", offering a slice of escapism, it also "resonates with ideas of empire and ownership", Hannah told RadioTimes.com. "When we look at events that have happened, even just this year, it's interesting how much we still need to have this dialogue, you know.
"In my upbringing in the second half of the 20th century, it felt like we were making progress. It felt like civilisation was advancing. It felt like we were developing a liberal ethos, that we were being empathetic to the troubles of others.
"And unfortunately, that's all turned around in the last few years, and it's really sickening. It's heartbreaking."
Hannah plays Sergeant Murray, who works for the British consul Lord Guillonk and spends much of his time babysitting the free-spirited Marianna. But we do learn more about him as time goes on.
"He's a quiet character, someone who's quite internalised with his past and his history, but you get to understand a little bit about where that care [for Marianna] comes from, and what the relationship between the consul and myself has been over the years. And there is an element later on that we discover of Murray's guilt, which he wants to atone for – and does by the end of the show.
"It was a nice part for me, and as a father, as a man of a certain age with children of a similar age, to explore that.
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"And there are so many threads going on. There are so many characters who have an investment in the overall – it's not simply about the lead characters. Everybody's got a history, and everybody weaves through the story."
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Sandokan is streaming now on Netflix now. Season 4 is coming in 2026.
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Authors
Abby Robinson is the Drama Editor for Radio Times, covering TV drama and comedy titles. She previously worked at Digital Spy as a TV writer, and as a content writer at Mumsnet. She possesses a postgraduate diploma and a degree in English Studies.
