Women are all too often written out of history, but Lucy Liu is looking to bring their remarkable achievements to the limelight. The “Elementary” star is developing a scripted anthology series about real-life women heroes, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. In addition to exec producing “Unsung Heroes” for ABC Studios International, Liu will direct its first episode. A distributor isn’t attached yet.
Set to “profile women who were highly accomplished in their fields but did not receive acknowledgment for their achievements and how their stories have impacted history,” “Unsung Heroes'” first episode will center on Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American actress to become an international star. Wong dealt with racism throughout her career — California’s anti-miscegenation laws, for example, prevented her from kissing any co-star of another race, resulting in fewer job offers. No word on what other inspiring women the series will spotlight.
“I wish people wouldn’t just see me as the Asian girl who beats everyone up, or the Asian girl with no emotion,” Liu said in 2013. “People see Julia Roberts or Sandra Bullock in a romantic comedy, but not me. You add race to it, and it became, ‘Well, she’s too Asian’, or, ‘She’s too American.’ I kind of got pushed out of both categories. It’s a very strange place to be. You’re not Asian enough and then you’re not American enough, so it gets really frustrating.” She acknowledged that racism makes her career “much more difficult.”
Joining Liu as exec producers on “Unsung Heroes” are Maryellen Mulcahy and Ruthanne Secund. The former is her manager and the latter has a deal at ABC Studios. Overseeing the project for ABC Studios International is Kelli Lee, managing director international content, platforms, and talent.
“Unsung Heroes” won’t mark Liu’s first time behind the camera. The “Kill Bill” actress’ previous directing credits include episodes of “Luke Cage,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” and “Elementary.” Liu will reprise her role as Dr. Joan Watson in the upcoming seventh and final season of the latter, set to premiere later this year.
