Lucy Liu, Eloise Singer Look To Plunder Emmy Gold With VR Experience ‘The Pirate Queen’ - Deadline

When we think of notorious pirates of history, Jean Lafitte, Capt. Morgan, and Blackbeard leap to mind – impressively chevelured and bewhiskered British or Frenchmen who swash-buckled through the Atlantic, Caribbean, and the Gulf of Mexico. But in terms of larceny upon the high seas, they may have been eclipsed not by a man or a European, but by a Chinese woman: Cheng Shih.

Actress Lucy Liu brings the charismatic corsair back to life in The Pirate Queen, a VR experience from Meta and Singer Studios that immerses users in a 19th century world of intrigue and adventure. The narrative directed and produced by Eloise Singer and produced by Liu and Siobhan McDonnell is nominated for an Emmy in the category of Outstanding Emerging Media Program.

Liu and Singer first learned of Cheng Shi somewhat randomly. “I think both of us found out, not because we read about it, but because someone mentioned it and then we investigated it,” Liu tells Deadline. Adds Singer, “One of my friends literally just offhand said, did you know the most powerful pirate was a woman? And I was like, ‘No, that’s not true. Pirate’s a man!’ And she was like, no, genuinely, it was a woman in 19th century China who married the leader of a fleet. And then when he mysteriously died, she took over and commanded about 70,000 pirates in the lead up to the Opium Wars and became the most powerful pirate leader of all time.”

In the opening moments of The Pirate Queen, Liu as the voice of Cheng Shih sets the scene — the sound of lapping ocean water under her voice: “These are tumultuous times. In the 11th year of the Gaahing Emporer’s rule, China is beset by rebellions and sabotage… but in a world of crisis, there is always opportunity.”

Shih seized her opportunity to build a vast network of vessels in the South China Sea. After fending off rivals, she implemented widespread innovations.

“Not only was she this incredible leader, but she actually created this code of laws, which meant that men and women had to be treated equally on her ship,” Singer notes. “She was kind of a pioneer in paving the way for gender equality at a time where it was so challenging for women to at all be seen as equals.”

Read the article on Deadline here.