‘Poldark’ star Aidan Turner plays Leonardo da Vinci in new drama – watch the trailer!

Filming is now complete on Aidan Turner’s brand new period drama series.

Having wrapped on Poldark after five seasons last year, the Irish actor will return to our TV screens in 2021!

Turner will be playing Italian inventor Leonardo da Vinci in a new historical series from Sherlock writer Steve Thompson and The X-Files writer Frank Spotnitz.

The eight episodes began shooting last December and Leonardo was originally expected to premiere in 2020, marking the 500th anniversary of da Vinci’s death.

However, filming was halted earlier this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, along with production on shows like Call the Midwife and Peaky Blinders.

Leonardo became one of the first series to resume filming during the crisis when cameras started rolling again in June, albeit with rigorous safety procedures in places.

The producers revealed to Deadline that “anyone entering the studio had to undergo swab tests, pass daily through a corridor where they were sprayed with a disinfectant vapour, have their temperature taken twice a day, wear facemasks and gloves, and respect social distancing,” while “props were bathed in ultra-violet light overnight to sanitise them.”

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.”

Watch the first trailer:

 

The production involved 3,000 crew, including actors and extras, with 2,500 costumes.

Filming covered more than 50 locations showcasing Italian scenery, alongside the use of the Leonardo backlot, one of the largest in Western Europe.

You can take a look around the incredible sets for Leonardo in this new video released by Sony:

 

Executive producer Eleonora Andreatta commented: “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.”

Producer Luca Bernabei added: “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, [it is] a message of hope and a model of rebirth that, we feel in this moment, [is] even more relevant.”

If you’re missing Aidan Turner’s shirtless scything in Poldark, you can currently catch up on all five seasons of the BBC’s hit period drama series on Amazon Prime Video.

If you’ve not already got Amazon Prime, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial here!

Alongside Turner, the cast of Leonardo 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, and Freddie Highmore (The Good Doctor) as a detective.

Co-creator Frank Spotnitz previously revealed the show intends “not just [to] say that Leonardo was a genius, but really show why he was a genius and have the audience understand what it was that made him so brilliant and radical and centuries ahead of this time…”

Leonardo will now air on Starz in 2021.

Poldark is available to watch on Amazon Prime.