‘Poldark’ star Aidan Turner is back in new Leonardo da Vinci drama series
We’ve finally got some details on when Aidan Turner’s new TV period drama will premiere.
The Irish actor stars as Italian inventor Leonardo da Vinci in a new historical series from Sherlock writer Steve Thompson and The X-Files writer Frank Spotnitz.
Best known for playing Ross Poldark in all five seasons of the BBC’s hit drama Poldark, Turner began filming Leonardo in 2019.
The series was originally expected to premiere in 2020, marking the 500th anniversary of da Vinci’s death, but filming was halted last spring due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Leonardo became one of the first TV series to resume filming during the crisis, with rigorous safety procedures in place, and the shoot finally wrapped in August 2020.
News on the show has been quiet since then, but we can now reveal that Leonardo is launching in Italy on Rai1 on Tuesday 23rd March.
Amazon Prime Video announced this week that all eight episodes will be available to watch in the UK from Friday 16th April.
We’re still not sure when or where Leonardo will premiere in the US, however.
It was originally set to air on Starz, but we’re now hearing that it might end up on Netflix instead.
We’ll let you know as soon as we have confirmation of a US start date!
In the meantime, here’s the first trailer:
The official synopsis reads: “Born in Vinci, in Tuscany, Leonardo displayed mastery in arts, science and technology. The show attempts to unlock his enigmatic personality through an untold story.”
Alongside Aidan Turner, the cast also includes Giancarlo Giannini (Casino Royale) as da Vinci’s master Andrea del Verrocchio, Matilda De Angelis (The Undoing) as his muse Caterina da Cremona, Carlos Cuevas (Merlì) as Leonardo’s apprentice and trusted friend Salaì, James D’Arcy (Homeland) as Ludovico Sforza Duke of Milan, and Freddie Highmore (The Good Doctor) as a young detective, Stefano Giraldi.
Aidan Turner previously commented: “As we know, Leonardo Da Vinci was a man who created an incredible body of work across so many disciplines.
He added: “As an actor, to explore the inner workings of this great artist was a very exciting and humbling experience and I feel so fortunate to have worked with such a great team in Rome to make this series happen.”
Poldark is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.