Empires of the Deep

Empires of the Deep, an unreleased 3D action-adventure fantasy film, had its sole North American screening in 2014 at the Sony Pictures lot, where it received a lukewarm response. Written by Randall Frakes and directed by Jonathan Lawrence, Michael French, and Scott Miller, the film stars Olga Kurylenko. The project was initiated by Chinese real estate mogul Jon Jiang, who played a significant role in financing this U.S.-Chinese co-production. Despite the vision and massive budget—Jiang planned to invest $130 million—the film struggled to find its footing in the competitive landscape of cinema. Notably, Jiang's ambition was to create a film that transcended national boundaries, as he never intended it to be a purely Chinese production. This unique perspective combined with an impressive budget made Empires of the Deep a fascinating yet ultimately elusive cinematic venture.