Take a 15th-century Italian genius, invent his mysterious youth, throw in some superhero action and you have got Da Vinci’s Demons – a new TV series that portrays the man who painted the Mona Lisa like he has never been seen before.
His life was filled with a lot of controversy, which is always good
Forget the artist seen in his own self-portrait as a wisened, bearded old man.
The Leonardo of Da Vinci’s Demons is a fearless, reckless, swashbuckling 25-year-old, who sports 21st-century hair gel and an impressive six-pack.
The eight-episode drama, that premiered on US cable channel Starz on Friday and will be showing around the world later this month, follows the ‘untold story’ of the original Renaissance Man through the eyes of David Goyer, one of the developers of the Call of Duty hit videogame franchise.
“I had always had a fascination with da Vinci and I was amazed there had never been a movie specifically about him or a TV show, which strikes me as kind of crazy,” Goyer said.
“I don’t know anyone who has ever achieved or mastered all the things that he did. And he was a colourful character. His life was filled with a lot of controversy, which is always good,” Goyer said.
And, in a gift for any creative mind, there are few records of what da Vinci was doing, or where he was, between the ages of 28 and 32.
“Those gaps give a creator more permission to invent things. It’s a historical fantasy that has a certain element of magical realism to it.
“I also wanted a very modern graphic novel approach, and that extends into costumes, music, visual effects and the way we photographed it,” added Goyer, who also co-wrote the stories for Batman movies The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises.
British actor Tom Riley plays da Vinci as a rising artist in 15th-century Florence, already designing flying machines, military equipment, flirting with his models, bedding a mistress of the powerful Medici family and embarking on a quest for the mythical Book of Leaves. His adventures are played out against intrigue and tension between the ruling Medicis in Florence and Pope Sixtus IV in Rome, with plenty of male and female nudity, sex, murder, plotting and sword-fighting.
The TV series, co-produced with a unit of BBC Worldwide Productions and filmed mostly among the ancient castles of Wales, will be shown on pay channels in 120 nations this month.
It is also expected to become one of the most successful ventures by Starz into original programming after the channel’s historical gladiator action franchise, Spartacus, that began in 2011.
Despite the creative licence, Goyer said that many of the events in Da Vinci’s Demons are based on historical records and that most of the characters really existed.
But he also wanted to inject enjoyment into the story of the sculptor, architect, inventor and anatomist who gave the world iconic masterpieces like The Last Supper, Vitruvian Man and the Virgin of the Rocks.
“I wanted to make sure it is fun. I hope audiences have a good time. If they decide to learn more about history because of it, that is great as well,” he said.