The new life of the Malaysian Tiger. Disney+ announces Sandokanthe series created by Luca Bernabei and developed by Alessandro Sermoneta, Scott Rosenbaum and Davide Lantieri. The protagonist in the role that once belonged to Kabir Bedi is the Turkish actor Can Yaman. The new adaptation of Emilio Salgari’s novels is directed by Jan Maria Michelini and Nicola Abbatangelo. Here’s everything you need to know.
Sandokan, the trailer
Sandokan, the cast
The cast of the series includes, among others, Can Yaman, Alanah Bloor, Alessandro Preziosi, Ed Westwick and with John Hannah.
Sandokan, previews on the plot
The series, reads the synopsis, is set in 1841. In a world dominated by the colonial power of the English, Sandokan is a pirate who lives day by day. He sails the China Sea alongside his faithful friend Yanez and their pirate crew, a group of adventurers who come from the four corners of the world. One day, during a boarding of a cargo ship belonging to the Sultan of Brunei, Sandokan frees a mysterious Dayak prisoner, a long-oppressed indigenous people. The man believes he recognizes Sandokan as the warrior of an ancient prophecy who will free his people from the yoke of foreigners. Sandokan doesn’t give it any weight: he’s just a pirate who loves freedom; this is how he has lived his life to this day. But everything is about to change because during a daring raid on the British Consulate in Labuan, Sandokan meets Marianna Guillonk. Marianna is the young daughter of the English Consul. She is known as the Pearl of Labuan for her beauty but also for her indomitable character which pushes her to refuse rich suitors who aspire to her hand. The meeting with Sandokan awakens in her that spirit of adventure that the rigid cages of Victorian society have always repressed. The one between Sandokan and Marianna is the meeting of two worlds that couldn’t be more different. An impossible story, apparently. But there is nothing impossible when two hearts desire the same thing: freedom. However, between the two comes Lord James Brooke, the shady and charming “pirate hunter”. Brooke is not the usual rich merchant, nor a career soldier, but a daring adventurer who, at the head of his frigate, the Royalist, sows panic among pirates throughout South East Asia. An ambitious and brilliant man, Brooke captures Sandokan’s crew and sets out on the trail of their captain. Brooke is willing to do anything to stop Sandokan, gain power and win Marianna’s heart. Which is not indifferent to that man’s charm. Thus begins an adventure that winds between the seas of Borneo, the lively city of Singapore and the lush tropical jungle. Right here, in the heart of the forest, Sandokan will meet his destiny. At the end of the day everyone will have to make a choice: Marianna, torn between Brooke and Sandokan, will have to face the darkest sides of her world and decide what she really wants; Brooke will have to measure her boundless ambition with her most vulnerable sides; Sandokan, from a simple pirate who lived hand to mouth, will be called to transform into the Tiger of Malaysia.
Sandokan, when it comes out on Disney+
The series debuts on Disney+ on January 17, 2026.
