'Say Nothing' Writer Developing Feature Film About Irish Pirate Queen Grace O'Malley

Many Americans have likely never heard of Grace O'Malley, but writer and director Kirsten Sheridan is working on changing that. The former Say Nothing scribe is developing a feature film about the exploits of one of the most interesting (and least well-known) female figures in history.

Gráinne Mhaol Ní Mháille, also known as Grace O’Malley or Granuaile, was an accomplished mariner and political tactician. She established herself as a powerful ruler along the west coast of Ireland in the sixteenth century, a tumultuous period in which Tudor England was steadily reconquering much of Ireland. Grace's exploits earned her the nickname of "Ireland's Pirate Queen," though the folklore surrounding her alleged deeds vastly outweighs the historical facts we know about her life.

Based on the book Grace O'Malley – The Biography of Ireland's Pirate Queen by renowned biographer Anne Chambers, the film is set to dramatize the meeting between two of the most famous women of their day: O'Malley and England's Queen Elizabeth I.

The meeting immediately became the stuff of legend: Two middle-aged women at the height of their powers in a world traditionally dominated by men. Whether some of the rumors about that meeting — that Grace refused to bow because she didn't recognize Elizabeth as the Queen of Ireland, that she traded her pirate garb for an elaborate gown, that Elizabeth was impressed by her — are true are questions lost to history, but they are precisely the sort of possible facts that make you wonder why no one has ever tried to make a movie out of this incident before now.

Sheridan has reportedly been developing this project with Chambers for a number of years, and the film is meant to be followed by a planned television series.

Here's the project's description. 

The story will chronicle the extraordinary true story of a meeting between Queen Elizabeth I, the most powerful ruler in British history, and the fearless 16th century Irish rebel pirate Grace O’Malley (Granuaile). When her youngest son is taken prisoner, Grace sails right up the Thames to confront Queen Elizabeth directly. Over the course of just one week, these leaders of two warring nations question each other’s identity, pierce each other’s wounds, win each other’s respect, and come together as equals to define not only their nations, but their most intimate selves.

“This is a deeply personal passion project,” Sheridan said in a statement. “Every Irish woman knows Grace O’Malley’s story. It is one of power, resilience, and rebellion. She defied gender norms, controlled her own destiny, and stood toe-to-toe with the most powerful woman in history. Grace was the ultimate punk Pagan ‘savage’ who came from a tribe of warriors, but also of filí, a powerful caste of poets and diviners.”

Sheridan's approach to the story is described as "raw and contemporary," and will explore themes of sexuality, identity, and gender with a fresh lens. The project aims to not only tell the story of Grace's legendary exploits as a pirate and rebel, but also explore her complex personal journey as a leader and mother.

The film, supported by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, will be produced by Dublin's Wild Atlantic Pictures (The Green Knight) in collaboration with the LA-based Reclaim Entertainment Ventures. Production is slated to start in 2026.