The Catastrophic Production of the Film Empire of The Deep
The film Empire of The Deep was meant to rival Avatar in its grandeur and success. However, due to various reasons, it was never released, and rightfully so as its production was an absolute disaster.
The project initially began as a dream of the Chinese real estate magnate, Jon Jiang, who was captivated by James Cameron’s saga. He took it upon himself to write the story and assemble a team. One of his notable hires was Randall Frake, known for collaborating with Cameron. The story, originally titled Mermaid Island, takes place in Ancient Greece, where a mermaid queen embarks on a journey to save her father and her underwater kingdom.
Unfulfilled Promises and Ridiculous Costumes
Jiang aimed to make a big impact and sought out renowned directors to take charge of the film. He approached Irvin Kershner, director of The Empire Strikes Back, but Kershner was not interested due to the Chinese association. Jiang then approached several other directors, including Jonathan Lawrence, Michael French, Scott Miller, and Pitof. As for the lead actress, Monica Bellucci and Sharon Stone were among the contenders, but Olga Kurylenko ultimately landed the role. However, each director faced the same problem – the set could only accommodate 20 extras instead of the promised 500, and the costumes turned out to be ridiculous despite the $130 million budget allocated for production. Nevertheless, the filming began even without a finished script, and a trailer was shown in 2010.
Nobody Wants the Film
In 2014, Jiang hired Michael Kahn, Steven Spielberg’s editor, to work on the film and find a distributor. Despite his efforts, no one in the United States was convinced to take on the film. The unfinished special effects and poorly crafted plot resulted in a disaster. Reshoots of certain scenes were scheduled in a desperate attempt to salvage the project. In 2016, realizing the film was beyond repair, Jiang pleaded for its completion. However, the participatory fund set up for the film never reached its goal, leaving Empire of The Deep unreleased despite the producer’s relentless efforts. Furthermore, none of the individuals hired for the production were ever paid.
