Home TV News ‘Poldark’ Star Aidan Turner To Play Leonardo da Vinci In New Frank Spotnitz Series

‘Poldark’ Star Aidan Turner To Play Leonardo da Vinci In New Frank Spotnitz Series

by Dave Elliott
'Poldark' Star Aidan Turner To Play Leonardo da Vinci In New Frank Spotnitz Series

‘Poldark’ Star Aidan Turner To Play Leonardo da Vinci In New Frank Spotnitz Series

‘Poldark’ star Aidan Turner is set to switch the windswept Cornish coast for the hills of Tuscany as he lands the lead role of Leonardo da Vinci in a new series from ‘The Man in the High Castle’s Frank Spotnitz.

The series, currently under the working title of ‘Leonardo’, is set to chart da Vinci’s achievements, not only in art, but across various other fields as well, crafting a new and original take on the acclaimed genius. The eight-episode series comes from Spotnitz alongside British writer Steve Thompson (‘Doctor Who’, ‘Deep State’, ‘Sherlock’). Daniel Percival (‘Strike Back’, ‘Waking the Dead’), who previously worked with Spotnitz on ‘High Castle’, will direct the series.

Turner has spent the last few years starring in the title role of Mammoth Screen’s epic adaptation of ‘Poldark’ for BBC One. Prior to that, he played Kili in ‘The Hobbit’ trilogy, and starred as Mitchell the vampire in ‘Being Human’. More recently he joined the movie ‘The Last Planet’, written and directed by Terrence Malick.

‘Leonardo’ will be English-language, however, it comes from international co-production group The Alliance, formed by Italy’s RAI, France Televisions and ZDF in Germany. It will be produced by Lux Vide and Spotnitz’s Big Light Productions.

“Capturing the character of Leonardo has been one of the most fascinating and exciting challenges of my career,” commented Spotnitz. “It’s hard to fathom that a man this extraordinary could even have existed, let alone the human impulses that drove him to achieve such extraordinary things. It’s been enormously rewarding and an absolute joy collaborating with Steve Thompson, Daniel Percival and our partners at Lux Vide and RAI to bring Leonardo to life.”

Whilst Leonardo da Vinci is known for his art, such as the Mona Lisa, he was a renowned polymath, with interests spanning areas from literature, to science, engineering, geology, mathematics and many other subjects. Not to mention his extensive inventions, which ranged from musical instruments to hydraulic pumps to mechanical knights!

“Leonardo is a captivating genius and it has been a thrill to explore his work and his character,” adds Steve Thompson. “Each of his works has a uniquely fascinating story behind its creation. I am delighted to have collaborated with Frank and our creative team to tell his extraordinary story.”

‘Leonardo’ is due to begin production in 2020. It’s still way too early for a UK broadcaster, but we’ll let you know when we hear more.

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