Empires of the Deep is an unreleased 3D action-adventure fantasy film, written by Randall Frakes, directed by Jonathan Lawrence, Michael French and Scott Miller, and starring Olga Kurylenko.

[6][7] A cinephile, he believed that with his wealth he could make an epic film in the same vein of those from Hollywood filmmakers Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Peter Jackson.

[10] Initially Monica Bellucci was set to star in the film as the Mermaid Queen,[11] although she eventually dropped out and Sharon Stone was courted and then replaced with Olga Kurylenko, who was reportedly paid $1 million for the role.

[1] The film was planned to be the start of a franchise on the scale of Star Wars or The Lord of the Rings, with a trilogy to be made and an accompanying animated series, video games and a theme park in China.

[8][1] Lawrence, who envisioned the film as an epic and fun adventure in the same vein of Raiders of the Lost Ark, also attempted to rewrite the script, which he believed had potential but found convoluted and full of plot holes, but faced pushback from Jiang over his proposed changes.

[1] The harsh and potentially unsafe working conditions on location led to actress Irena Violette quitting the movie partway through production; in retaliation the producers withheld her passport and demanded she repay her salary in exchange for its return, which led to Violette and her boyfriend secretly escaping from the set in Fujian to the US Consulate General in Shanghai with the help of Lawrence, a few sympathetic crew members, and the local police.

[8][1] Subsequently her character, the mermaid Dada, the bodyguard of villainess turned love interest Aka (played by Jon Jiang's girlfriend Shi Yanfei), was recast with Kerry Berry Brogan taking on the role.

[1] Maulion, who played the major supporting role of Trajin, also walked off the set after the production did not pay him the last three months of his salary; his remaining scenes were shot with a double.

[1] In January 2016, the producers launched a crowdfunding campaign seeking 1 million yuan ($150k) in funding, and advertised an April 2016 release date for the film.

[1] On April 27, 2010, director Michael French and stars Olga Kurylenko, Steve Polites, Shi Yanfei and Jonathan Kos-Read appeared at a press conference held at a studio in Beijing, where they presented a trailer for the film, with journalists given 3D glasses to wear.