LOS ANGELES, Oct. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Starz Entertainment
has green-lit a new original adventure series titled "Da Vinci's
Demons," developed and produced by BBC Worldwide Productions.
This is the first project to enter production under the multi-year
agreement Starz signed with BBC Worldwide Productions earlier this
summer. The series was jointly announced today by Starz Media
Managing Director, Carmi Zlotnik and
BBC Worldwide Productions Head, Jane
Tranter.
Written by David S. Goyer,
co-writer of blockbuster and critically-acclaimed films Batman
Begins, The Dark Knight and writer of the highly
anticipated Man of Steel, the eight-episode series is
scheduled to begin production in early-2012.
"Da Vinci's Demons" is David
Goyer's historical fantasy, following the "untold" story of
the world's greatest genius during his raucous youth in Renaissance
Florence. Brash and brilliant, the twenty five-year old da
Vinci is an artist, inventor, swordsman, lover, dreamer and
idealist. As a free thinker, with intellect and talents that
are almost superhuman, he struggles to live within the confines of
his own reality and time. He begins to not only see the
future, but invent it.
David Goyer commented, "Da Vinci
was the original Renaissance man -- a near-mythic figure that has
world-wide appeal. After working with characters like Batman
and Superman, it made a strange kind of sense for me to dive into
the facts and legends swirling around his origins. This will
be a show about secret histories, genius, madness, and all things
profane. And I'm particularly excited that I get to do it on
premium cable, where the story can be as dark and challenging and
irreverent as it deserves to be. Starz and BBC Worldwide
Productions have been nothing but supportive."
Zlotnik said, "David has reimagined some of the most iconic
superheroes of all time, and is again building an extraordinary
prism through which to rediscover the world's greatest genius and
most mysterious man. If modern day has Tony Stark, the Renaissance had da Vinci.
This is a story we believe will captivate the imaginations of
audiences around the world and is the first of what we expect to be
many productions with our talented partners at BBC Worldwide
Productions."
Jane Tranter, Head of BBC
Worldwide Productions, said, "The young life of this incredibly
complex and brilliant man has not yet been explored. With
David Goyer, whose imagination has created juggernaut and iconic
theatrical features, coupled with the premium presence of
Chris Albrecht, Carmi Zlotnik and their Starz team, we couldn't
be more passionate about bringing this story to U.S. viewers and
international audiences."
Starz is expected to air the worldwide broadcast premiere in
2013. BBC Worldwide will distribute the series internationally.
David S. Goyer is showrunner.
Julie Gardner will serve as
Executive Producer, along with BBC Worldwide Productions' Head Jane
Tranter.
"Da Vinci's Demons" is the latest piece of distinguished,
exclusive original programming announced from
Starz. "Boss," starring Kelsey
Grammer and produced by Lionsgate debuted on October 21. "Spartacus: Vengeance," season
two of the breakout worldwide hit, returns in January 2012 and the much-anticipated "Magic
City," debuts in April 2012.
BBC Worldwide Productions started its scripted efforts when
Jane Tranter, former Controller of
BBC Fiction, arrived to run the company in January 2009. Shortly thereafter Julie Gardner, former Head of Drama, BBC Wales,
joined as SVP, Scripted, BBC Worldwide Productions. Tranter and
Gardner have been responsible for a plethora of titles in their
careers including "Doctor Who," "Torchwood," "Little Dorrit,"
"Bleak House," "Girl in a Cafe," "Ashes to Ashes" and "State of
Play." "Torchwood: Miracle Day" was
the first scripted series produced by BBC Worldwide Productions,
recently wrapped its run on Starz. The company has over 20 scripted
projects in sold development with various cable and network
partners as well as 10 unscripted series currently in
production.
BBC Worldwide Productions and David
Goyer are represented by Creative Artists Agency.
About Starz Entertainment
Starz Entertainment, LLC, is a premium movie and original
programming entertainment service provider operating in
the United States. The company
offers 17 premium channels including the flagship STARZ® and
ENCORE® brands with approximately 19 million and 32.9 million
subscribers respectively. Starz Entertainment airs in total
more than 1,000 movies and original series every month across its
pay TV channels. Starz Entertainment is recognized as a pay TV
leader in providing HD, On Demand, HD On Demand and online advanced
services for its STARZ, ENCORE and MOVIEPLEX brands. Starz
Entertainment (www.starz.com) is an operating unit of Starz, LLC,
which is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation and
is attributed to the Liberty Starz tracking stock group (NASDAQ:
LSTZA).
About BBC Worldwide Productions
BBC Worldwide Productions, led by Jane
Tranter, is based in Los
Angeles and develops and produces scripted and non-scripted
projects for U.S. cable and broadcast networks, as well as digital
platforms. The production company is responsible for the smash hit
"Dancing with the Stars" (ABC), "Top Gear" (HISTORY), "What Not to
Wear" (TLC), "Torchwood: Miracle
Day" (Starz), "Hairy Bikers" (HISTORY) and the upcoming
titles "The Week the Women Went" (Lifetime), "The Next Big Thing"
(Oxygen) and "Da Vinci's Demons" (Starz). BBC Worldwide Productions
sits within one of six core businesses that form BBC Worldwide, the
main commercial arm and wholly-owned subsidiary of British
Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
Contacts:
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Theano Apostolou
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Christine Shaw
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Starz
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BBC Worldwide
Productions
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424.204.4052 office
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310.228.1620 office
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917.576.8395 cell
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310.927.6606 cell
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SOURCE Starz Entertainment; BBC Worldwide Productions