The final season of Spartacus is underway, which means we're in the countdown to the premiere of Starz's new drama Da Vinci's Demons. The premium cable network has released a pretty cool piece of key art for the upcoming series, which focuses on the title character looking almost angelic… or would it be demonic?
Among other things, Leonardo Da Vinci was known for his interest in flying machines, including the ornithopter (an aircraft that flies by flapping wings). So the image in the poster is particularly fitting in that respect, but with series star Tom Riley holding his arms raised, the frame of wings on his back make him look like an angel. I'm going with angel, though the word "demons" in the title may suggest otherwise.
Created by David S. Goyer, Da VInci's Demons will follow Leonardo da Vinci, the artist, inventor, swordsman, dreamer and idealist, in his younger years, at the age of 25 when he was just at the cusp of greatness. Well remembered for his contributions and achievements, the series has a real opportunity to explore (dramatically) what he might have been like as a young man.
"Leonardo was a transformational figure—the original Renaissance man and the kind of genius that only emerges every thousand years or so,” said series creator David S. Goyer. “What I like about this image is that it embodies a lot of the show's themes. It's aspirational. The triumph of the human spirit over ignorance and repression—the audacity of imagination."
Dark and dramatic, the poster looks great, with Da Vinci's arms outstretched upward, beneath the words "Genius cannot be contained." I'm hopeful that the poster is an accurate indication of how good the series will be. We'll find out one way or the other when Da Vinci's Demons premieres Friday, April 12 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on Starz.
