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The high end drama 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, is the first Italian production to receive the backing of pan-European co-production initiative The Alliance, created last year by the major European pubcasters, RAI, France Télévisions and ZDF.
Filming of the TV series Leonardo restarted on June 15 and was one of the first major Italian and international productions to resume right after the pandemic thanks to rigorous health & safety protocols. To celebrate this achievement an exclusive clip of the backlot has been released for one of the most anticipated TV events of 2021 which is set to unlock the mysteries surrounding one of the world’s greatest artists.
The production lasting 2000 hours involved 3000 crew including actors, extras and 2500 costumes, and covered more than 50 filming locations showcasing the beautiful Italian scenery alongside the use of the impressive Leonardo backlot.
The unseen clip, with the theme score by John Paesano, shows what is currently one of the largest backlot in Europe as fans and audiences are transported back to the 15th century set where a significant part of filming has been armoured around the theatre of the Florence and Milan Renaissance, including scenes where Leonardo da Vinci reached for greatness with his commission to paint The Last Supper.
The drama series was one of the first major international productions to resume thanks to the ingenuity of Lux Vide, who were at the forefront of developing bespoke industry protocols with APA, and the first in applying them in a production of this scale, abiding by the Italian government guidelines.
Anyone entering the studio had to undergo swab tests, pass daily through a corridor where they were sprayed with a disinfectant vapour, other safeguards included having to wear facemasks and gloves, having their temperature taken twice a day, social distancing, and disinfecting equipment, and other props bathed in ultra-violet light overnight to sanitise them.
At almost 20,000 square meters the set is currently one of the largest backlots in Western Europe, which took nearly 5-months to reconstruct by the production in the studios of Matilde and Luca Bernabei’s Lux Vide in Formello. About 200 workers involved in building the backlot, including plasterers, sculptors, painters, decorators, designers and the visual effect team, collaborated in the production of the scenography.
Born in Vinci, in Tuscany, Leonardo grew into an unparalleled genius whose work overturned the established order and keeps inspiring the world. His restless curiosity flitted between arts, science and technology, all of it informed by a deep and fearless humanity, liberated from the conventions of his time, driven by a profound quest for knowledge and determined to unfold the mysteries of the world around him. The show attempts to unlock the enigma of this extraordinary and yet incredibly contemporary man in a fresh and truly original way, through an untold story of mystery and passion.
In the cast, together with Aidan Turner (Poldark, The Hobbit) in the role of the protagonist, Giancarlo Giannini (Family Novel, Catch 22) plays Leonardo's master, Andrea del Verrocchio; Matilda De Angelis (The Undoing, The Boys of the Zecchino d’Oro, Anything Can Happen) is Caterina of Cremona, the mysterious muse and dearest friend; Freddie Highmore (The Good Doctor, Bates Motel) is Stefano Giraldi, young investigator of the Podestà in charge of solving the mystery at the center of the story, Carlos Cuevas (Merlì) in the role of Salaì, Leonardo's apprentice and trusted friend and James D’Arcy (Homeland, Broadchurch) as Ludovico Sforza duke of Milan. The show is executive-produced by Luca Bernabei, Daniele Passani for Lux Vide, Frank Spotnitz, Emily Feller for Big Light Productions, Freddie Highmore with his Alfresco pictures, Brendan Fitzgerald for Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sara Melodia and Luisa Cotta Ramosino for Lux Vide and produced by Luca Bernabei.
The series was created by Frank Spotnitz (The X-Files, The Man in the High Castle, The Medici) and Steve Thompson (Sherlock, Doctor Who) and directed by Dan Percival (The Man in the High Castle, The Mysteries of Pemberley) and Alexis Sweet (Don Matteo, Back to the Island).
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