Da Vincis Demons Is An SFX Show, It Seems

David ( Dark Knight ) Goyer’s new series about the Renaissance artist finds its lead man and will have a fantasy element, apparently

When we first heard about BBC Worldwide’s Da Vinci’s Demons we guessed it might be an SFX show, primarily because of who was creating it – David S Goyer, scriptwriter behind the Nolan Batman trilogy, Blade , Dark City and Man Of Steel to name but a few. He’s also been an exec producer on TV shows including Threshold and FlashForward . And now that the actor playing Da Vinci has been announced the Beeb has let slip a few more bits of info about Demons that appear to confirm that it is definitely within our remit.

UK actor Tom Riley has landed the lead in the show, which, like Torchwood: Miracle Day is a co-production between US network Starz and BBC Worldwide Prods. Riley, best known for roles in UK TV series such as Lost In Austen , Monroe and Bouquet Of Barbed Wire will play the young Leonardo. The series is described as a fantasy following the “untold” story of the world’s greatest genius during his turbulent youth in Renaissance Florence. The 25 year-old da Vinci is an artist, inventor, swordsman, lover, dreamer and idealist who begins to not only see the future, but invent it.

“Given that da Vinci was the model for the Renaissance Man, these were incredibly large shoes to fill,” says Goyer of the casting. “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 ostracised 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.”

Dave is a TV and film journalist who specializes in the science fiction and fantasy genres. He's written books about film posters and post-apocalypses, alongside writing for SFX Magazine for many years.