Starz series Da Vinci’s Demons finds its Leonardo

I mentioned Leonardo da Vinci in my last article as a semi-related side note, which is a bit strange as the news I’m about to share with you is on a directly-related da Vinci note.  Tom Riley, a British actor I’m not familiar with, has been cast as da Vinci in the Starz series DA VINCI’S DEMONS.  Masterminded by David S. Goyer (THE UNBORN, THE DARK KNIGHT, MAN OF STEEL) and last reported on here, the series is “described as a historical fantasy following the ‘untold’ story of the world’s greatest genius during his turbulent youth in Renaissance Florence. Brilliant and passionate, the twenty five-year old da Vinci is an artist, inventor, swordsman, lover, dreamer and idealist who begins to not only see the future, but invent it.”

Goyer said of this of the search to cast the role: “Given that da Vinci was the model for the ‘Renaissance Man,’ these were incredibly large shoes to fill…. Leonardo had to be smart, witty, and incredibly confident – without coming across as arrogant.  He also had to be tormented, because, as a true visionary and polymath, he was ostracized for his ideas as much as he was celebrated. Tom came in and was able to effortlessly combine all of those elements. As soon as he finished his audition, we knew we’d found our man.”

So what does this mean for you? Well, if the concept of DA VINCI’S DEMONS interests you at all (which it does me, though I’m a teensy bit wary of Goyer doing much writing on the project), then know that this means production should be gearing up sooner rather than later.