“Zu: Warriors From Magic Mountain” Japanese Theatrical Poster
Influential Hong Kong action director Tsui Hark (Time and Tide, Once Upon a Time in China, Zu: Warriors from Magic Mountain) will co-produce Shih, Queen of the Sea, an upcoming Chinese pirate epic from writer Anthony McCarten, who is mostly known for penning Bohemian Rhapsody and The Theory of Everything.
According to Deadline, the film follows the titular Shih Yang, aka Cheng I Sao, who dominated the South China Sea during the Qing Dynasty. Born into poverty, she worked on a “flower boat” brothel where she met the notorious pirate leader Cheng Yi, joining him at sea. Upon his death in 1807, she assumed full command of the fearsome Red Flag Fleet, commanding over 1,800 pirate ships and an estimated 80,000 pirates. By comparison, Blackbeard commanded four ships and 300 pirates within the same century. Shih instigated sweeping reforms to the rules of piracy, ordering execution for rape or marital infidelity and insisting on equality between the sexes. Much of what is known in the West about her is due to the writings of an English diarist, Richard Glasspoole, who was captured by her and later formed a strong bond with her.
No casting details as of yet, but we’ll keep you updated as we learn more. Until then, here’s some historical subject matter on Shih Yang:
