Da Vinci's Demons

Lore & Background

The series follows Leonardo as he is implicated in the political schemes of the Medici and Pazzi families and their contrasting relationships with the Catholic Church. These events occur alongside Leonardo's quest to obtain a mystical text called the Book of Leaves, which leads him to become entangled with a cult known as the Sons of Mithras. The show depicts many of Leonardo's inventions and subsequent works as a military engineer for the Duke of Milan and the Borgias.

Reader's Guide

Da Vinci's Demons is significant as a fictionalized exploration of Leonardo da Vinci's early life, blending historical figures with fantastical elements. The series premiered in the United States on Starz on 12 April 2013, and its second season premiered on 22 March 2014. The series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on 24 October 2015. On 23 July 2015, Starz announced that the third season would be the show's last. However, Goyer has left it open for a miniseries return. The show received favorable reviews, holding a 75% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic score of 62 out of 100. It won two Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards for Outstanding Main Title Design and Outstanding Main Title Theme Music. The series marks the first collaboration between Starz and BBC Worldwide.

Did You Know?

• The series was shot in Wales, including Swansea, Neath, Port Talbot, and Margam Castle.
• Bear McCreary composed the score and orchestrated the main theme to reflect Leonardo's use of mirror writing.
• Season two was set partly in South America, featuring Machu Picchu and the Inca Empire.
• The series won Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards for Outstanding Main Title Design and Outstanding Main Title Theme Music.

Narrative Premise & Story Arc

The series constructs a fictionalized portrait of Leonardo da Vinci during the Italian Renaissance, centering on his formative years rather than his later fame. At its core, the narrative pits young Leonardo against the political machinations of the Medici and Pazzi families, both of whom maintain complicated ties to the Catholic Church. Working under the House of Medici, he becomes drawn into a conspiracy to seize control of Florence, tasked with identifying a spy leaking secrets to the Vatican and the Pazzi. His personal life is equally turbulent: a strained bond with his estranged father, Piero da Vinci, drives much of his ambition, while a romantic entanglement with Lucrezia Donati—Lorenzo de' Medici's own mistress—adds further danger. Running parallel to these threads is a mystical quest for a text called the Book of Leaves. This search pulls Leonardo into the orbit of the Sons of Mithras, a secretive cult that claims he can perceive and even shape the future, guiding him toward what they call the Fountain of Memory. The show also depicts his work as a military engineer for the Duke of Milan and the Borgias, weaving his real inventions into this invented storyline.

Production & Creative Craft

David S. Goyer conceived the series and served as its creative engine, directing the opening two episodes and writing alongside a team that included Scott Gimple, Brian Nelson, and Joe Ahearne. The production represented the first collaboration between Starz and BBC Worldwide under a new production agreement, with Fox International Channels handling global distribution. Filming was based in Wales, spanning Swansea, Neath, Port Talbot, and Margam Castle, with a massive 265,000-square-foot studio at Swansea Gate Business Park housing sets designed to evoke fifteenth-century Florence. Annie Symons led the costume design. Composer Bear McCreary crafted the score, orchestrating the main theme to mirror Leonardo's habit of writing in reverse—a clever musical nod to the character's idiosyncrasies. Goyer also revealed he filmed a kiss scene between Leonardo and Jacopo Saltarelli in episode five in secret, worried the network might object. At New York Comic Con, Goyer teased that season two would venture into South America, featuring Machu Picchu and the Inca Empire, which he justified by citing new research suggesting earlier European and Chinese contact with the New World.

The Ensemble Cast

Tom Riley was the first actor attached to the project, with Goyer and managing director Carmi Zlotnik explaining that his ability to bring multiple dimensions to Leonardo made him ideal for a global audience. Laura Haddock followed as the female lead, Lucrezia Donati. The main cast also includes Blake Ritson as Count Girolamo Riario, Elliot Cowan as Lorenzo de' Medici, Lara Pulver as Clarice Orsini, and James Faulkner as Pope Sixtus IV. The recurring and guest roster is remarkably wide, stretching from David Schofield as Leonardo's father Piero da Vinci and Eros Vlahos as his apprentice Nico, to Alexander Siddig as the enigmatic Turk, Aslan Al-Rahim. Season two expanded the world with Carolina Guerra as Ima, High Priestess of the Children of the Sun, Raoul Trujillo as the Sapa Inca, and Lee Boardman as Amerigo Vespucci. By season three, Akin Gazi took on a principal role as Bayezid II, while Paul Freeman appeared as the Architect, also known as Asterion. The sheer breadth of the ensemble—spanning Florentine courtiers, Vatican cardinals, Ottoman figures, and Incan leaders—gives the series a distinctly international texture.

Broadcast Run & Global Reach

Da Vinci's Demons debuted in the United States on Starz on 12 April 2013, with its second season arriving on 22 March 2014. The third and final season premiered on 24 October 2015, after Starz confirmed on 23 July 2015 that it would be the series' last. Despite this conclusion, Goyer has publicly left the possibility open for a future miniseries, keeping the story's door ajar for potential continuation. The show's international footprint was substantial: through Fox International Channels, it reached audiences in more than 120 countries, making it one of the more widely distributed Starz originals of its era. The partnership between Starz and BBC Worldwide, which produced the series, marked their first joint venture under a newly established production agreement, signaling a broader strategy for co-developing prestige drama for both domestic and overseas markets. For fans, the three-season arc—moving from Florence's political intrigue through South American and Incan territories to the Ottoman court—provided a sweeping, if entirely fictional, canvas for imagining the young Leonardo's restless genius and inner demons.