Aidan Turner will be your sexy Leonardo da Vinci for new TV series

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

When most of us think of Leonardo da Vinci, we typically think of the bearded gentleman we see above, but doesn't the Renaissance artist deserve to be seen as a sex symbol as well? Following in the footsteps of Da Vinci's Demons, the Starz series which found Tom Riley playing the role of Leonardo, a new TV series focusing on the famed artist/inventor is in the works. It was announced today that Aidan Turner, the young star of THE HOBBIT, Poldark, and Being Human, will be stepping into the role of Leonardo da Vinci.

The series comes to us from Frank Spotnitz, best known for The X-Files, The Man in the High Castle, and Medici, as well as Sherlock's Steve Thompson. Going by the working title of Leonardo, the eight-episode series will chart da Vinci's achievements in various fields such as art, science, painting, engineering, anatomy, and poetry. Production is expected to kick off later this year under the direction of Daniel Percival, who has worked with Spotnitz before on The Man in the High Castle. "Capturing the character of Leonardo has been one of the most fascinating and exciting challenges of my career," Spotnitz said in a statement. "It’s hard to fathom that a man this extraordinary could even have existed, let alone the human impulses that drove him to achieve such extraordinary things. It’s been enormously rewarding and an absolute joy collaborating with Steve Thompson, Daniel Percival and our partners at Lux Vide and RAI to bring Leonardo to life." Steve Thompson added, "Leonardo is a captivating genius and it has been a thrill to explore his work and his character. Each of his works has a uniquely fascinating story behind its creation. I am delighted to have collaborated with Frank and our creative team to tell his extraordinary story." More "A-list international cast members" are expected to be announced shortly.

Aidan Turner recently joined the cast of THE LAST PLANET, Terrence Malick's mysterious new film which tells the story of the life of Jesus Christ and finds Mark Rylance playing four different versions of Satan. Turner will be playing Andrew the Apostle.