The renowned actor will portray Leonardo Da Vinci in the anticipated high-end production by Lux Vide with RAI Fiction and Big Light Productions in association with France Télévisions and RTVE, and co-produced and distributed worldwide by Sony Pictures Television.
To celebrate the birthday of the Italian genius, fans and viewers get an exclusive first look at Aidan Turner as Leonardo da Vinci, for one of the most anticipated TV events of 2021, Leonardo.
This is a first glimpse of Aidan Turner as Leonardo da Vinci, showing him learning his craft as a young apprentice and then reaching for greatness with his commission to paint The Last Supper.
The first look is made of original footage directed by Dan Percival and Alexis Sweet and is accompanied by a score from series composer John Paesano.
The high-end show is produced by Lux Vide with RAI Fiction and Big Light Productions in association with France Télévisions and RTVE, and co-produced and distributed worldwide by Sony Pictures Television. The series was created by Frank Spotnitz (The X-Files, The Man in the High Castle, I Medici) and Steve Thompson (Sherlock, Doctor Who), and is directed by Daniel Percival (The Man in the High Castle, The Mysteries of Pemberley) and Alexis Sweet (Don Matteo, Back to the Island).
Leonardo will unlock the mystery of one of the most fascinating and enigmatic characters in history – a man whose genius and work is globally known and yet whose true character remains a tantalizing secret.
In the cast, together with Aidan Turner (Poldark, The Hobbit) in the main role, Giancarlo Giannini (Family Novel, Catch 22) plays Leonardo’s master Andrea del Verrocchio, Matilda De Angelis (The Undoing) is Caterina da Cremona, the dearest friend and mysterious muse.
Freddie Highmore (The Good Doctor, Bates Motel) will play Stefano Giraldi, a young detective of the Podestà in charge of solving the mystery at the center of the history. Highmore will also act as an executive producer on Leonardo, with his Sony Pictures Television-aligned production company, Alfresco Pictures joining Lux Vide, RAI Fiction and Big Light Productions to produce the show.
Born the illegitimate son of a notary in the rural town of Vinci (Tuscany), Leonardo’s lonely childhood leaves him with a relentless, near-superhuman drive to understand everything. All of his work, whether it was art, science, painting, engineering, anatomy or poetry, displayed a deep humanity that was determined to unfold the mystery of the world around us. Leonardo’s life was driven by a profound need to search and discover, and this series explores an alternative to the usual stereotypes about his personality, instead delving into the mystery of his extraordinary character in a fresh and truly original way.
Eleonora Andreatta, Head of Drama, Rai, said: «We’re proud to see so many talented people from different countries working together on a project that explores the life, the mystery and the genius of Leonardo da Vinci. They are following in his footsteps with their artistic excellence. Leonardo remains an inspirational figure around the world, and his ability to put together a prodigious synthesis of science and poetry, technology and art, is a reminder for us to trust in humanity’s capacity to cope with the adversity it faces. That’s why we are excited to give to the public an insight into the tortured and captivating life he lived, and how his incredible vision has helped us to look to the future ever since the Renaissance.»
Luca Bernabei, Lux Vide CEO and Producer, said: «Leonardo’s story invites us to believe in humanity, in its extraordinary abilities and the possibility of looking to the future beyond those horizons that today appear as overwhelming obstacles; as a very modern genius like Leonardo Da Vinci would do. From Italy to the world a message of hope and a model of rebirth that we feel in this moment, even more relevant.»
Frank Spotnitz, Big Light Productions CEO and Executive Producer, said: «It’s both a challenge and an honor to dramatize the life of one of the most fascinating people who ever lived. Leonardo is constantly surprising, and despite his fame remains an enigma more than 500 years after his death. We’ve uncovered sometimes little-noticed clues about Leonardo’s life and pieced them together in a puzzle that attempts to reveal the humanity behind the genius.»
