Here's a news item for those of you in the Hollywood-has-lost-all-sense-of-originality group. Universal has greenlit a project that reimagines Renaissance Man Leonardo da Vinci as an action hero. But if you think this is the only project centered on da Vinci, think again. Warner Bros. is also developing an action flick titled Leonardo da Vinci and the Soldiers of Fortune while Starz is developing Da Vinci's Demons, a retrospective drama summed up with the pitch line, "If modern day has Tony Stark, the Renaissance had da Vinci."
The Universal version will be produced by the guys who brought us Watchmen and will center on da Vinci trying to stop Renaissance Europe from returning to the Dark Ages. The movie, which is described as a comedy action-adventure, will look to mimic the style and tone of Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes franchise and is simply titled Leonardo.
This news comes less than a week after Universal COO Ron Meyer spoke at the Savannah Film Festival, stating that, "we make a lot of sh***y movies," a seven-word quote that echoed through numerous film and entertainment blogs and websites.
The Warner Bros. action flick completely reimagines da Vinci, placing him in "a secret society which falls headlong into a supernatural adventure that pits man against Biblical demons." The story is said to involve secret codes, lost civilizations, hidden fortresses and fallen angels. The Hollywood Reporter accurately describes it as National Treasure meets Raiders of the Lost Ark with a dose of Clash of the Titans mixed in.
And then there's Da Vinci's Demons, an eight-part series written by Batman Begins screenwriter David S. Goyer and co-produced by Starz and BBC Worldwide. Demons delves into Leonardo's youth, envisioning him not only as an inventor/artist/architect but also a genius swordsman and an all-around romantic.
Studios can come up with all sorts of random reimaginings and reboots, but ultimately, it's the audience that votes with their wallets. To that end, do any of these da Vinci-themed projects sound remotely interesting or will you be waiting for a reimagined kung-fu romantic drama starring Charles Darwin?
