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Lucy Liu’s ‘The Pirate Queen’ Expands With Graphic Novel, New Game and International Tour as Creator Eloise Singer Joins BAFTA Breakthrough Cohort (EXCLUSIVE)
Lucy Liu and writer-director Eloise Singer are expanding *The Pirate Queen*, their immersive retelling of the life of Cheng Shih, a powerful Chinese pirate leader. The plans include an international tour next year, a graphic novel they have co-written and a new game in development, building the project into a wider storyworld.
The latest experience, *The Pirate Queen: No Safe Waters*, uses projections, sound and movement to place audiences inside storms and fleets; it screened in the Cannes Film Festival’s Immersive Competition this year. It follows a 2024 virtual reality version, which received an Emmy nomination. Singer, who has worked on the project for a decade, was selected for the 2026 BAFTA Breakthrough U.K. cohort in the games category.
In short
- The Pirate Queen is expanding into a tour, graphic novel and game.
- Its immersive version puts audiences inside storms and fleets.
- Eloise Singer joins BAFTA Breakthrough’s 2026 games cohort.
Explained simply
Cheng Shih was a Chinese pirate leader who commanded a large fleet in the early 19th century. Her life has inspired The Pirate Queen, an immersive project developed by writer-director Eloise Singer and actor Lucy Liu.
The project retells Shih’s story through formats including virtual reality and live experiences, using images, sound and movement to involve audiences. Its different versions draw on history while presenting it in forms associated with film, theatre and games.
Singer has worked on the project for about a decade, and Liu is among its co-creators. Its development connects historical storytelling with newer immersive and interactive media.
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