‘Leonardo’ Creators on Fusing a Gay Storyline, Female Muse And Thriller Narrative
Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentHotly anticipated pan-European drama “Leonardo” bowed in Italy Tuesday (March 23) to stellar ratings, scoring a more than 28% prime time audience share on pubcaster RAI’s flagship RAI-1 station and prompting plaudits from Italy’s Culture Minister Dario Franceschini, as well as a huge sigh of relief from its creators, according to showrunner Frank Spotnitz.The lavish eight-part English-language retelling of the life of Italian master Leonardo da Vinci, played by Aidan Turner (“The Hobbit” franchise) is the first Italian production to receive backing from pan-European co-production initiative The Alliance, created last year by top European public service broadcasters.