SONY REVEALED THE FIRST LOOK AT AIDAN TURNER AS LEONARDO DA VINCI

To celebrate the birthday of the Italian genius, Sony Pictures Television offered an exclusive first look at Aidan Turner as Leonardo da Vinci, for the anticipated TV series “Leonardo,” which will debut in 2021.

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.

“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.

“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,”  said Eleonora Andreatta, Head of Drama at Rai.

Luca Bernabei, CEO and Producer at Lux Vide, commented: “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”.

Lastly, Frank Spotnitz, CEO and Executive Producer at Big Light Productions, expressed: “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, 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”.