It would be hard to find a production more disastrous than that of Empires of the Deep, an underwater 3D epic fantasy starring Olga Kurylenko that has racked up a $100 million budget and is unlikely to get domestic distribution. But that won’t stop us from showing you the just-released trailer for the film!
Announced more than two years ago as a Chinese response to Avatar that even had Anthony Arendt, 3D camera operator for Avatar, on board, the film has since had a dreadful production. Beginning as a $100 million 3D film taking place mostly underwater in the realm of mermaids, the budget has surely skyrocketed over even that figure.
Take a look at the brief, one-minute trailer below, found via Twitch.
With several cast members abandoning ship, and a series of production pitfalls threatening release, the film has apparently been made anyway, and if the trailer is any indication, it will be a nightmare. With Michael French (Heart of a Dragon) directing and Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace) starring, the trailer looks incredibly cheap and shoddily produced. Empires of the Deep is unlikely to ever see the light of day stateside, as it looks well on its way to never being heard about again. Exact word on any international distribution is not yet clear.
The synopsis provided by IMDB is as follows: “For thousand of years, legends of beautiful mermaids have enchanted people from all over the globe. Their fascinating and mysterious world has always captured the imagination of humans. In film history, there hasn’t been a single movie that has uncovered and explored this mystical world. What secrets lurk beneath the depths? And why do beautiful mermaids seduce human men? ‘Mermaid Island’ is the first underwater fantasy film to unveil and answer these questions.” That synopsis alone will explain its struggles. Oh, and the terribly ’90s CGI.