Thirteenth Century China is coming to life in Netflix’s latest original series “Marco Polo.” Based on the famed explorer’s adventures in Kublai Khan’s court, the 10-episode series stars Lorenzo Richelmy in the title roll and will premiere in its entirety on Friday, Dec. 12 at 3:01 a.m. ET.
See photos: Netflix Provides First Look at ‘Marco Polo’ and Premiere Date (Photos)
Based on the teaser trailer released by Netflix on Tuesday, the famed explorer will find plenty of sex and violence during his Asian escapades. The slick video features a nice blend of action and excitement, teasing difficult times ahead for the stranger in a strange land, even as he finds himself distracted by beauty of all kinds.
Originally developed for Starz, the network passed on it when attempts to film in China ultimately failed. Once Netflix came on board, filming took place in Italy, Kazakhstand and Malaysia.
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“Marco Polo” also stars Benedict Wong, Joan Chen, Chin Han, Zhu Zhu, Olivia Cheng, Claudia Kim, Mahesh Jadu, Tom Wu, Remy Hii, Uli Latukefu and Rick Yune. John Fusco, writer of the Oscar-nominated animated film “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmaron,” created the show and acts as co-showrunner with Dan Minahan.
Produced by Netflix and The Weinstein Company, the project will be directed by Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg. Executive producers include Fusco, Ronning, Sandberg, Harvey and Bob Weinstein, and director Daniel Minahan.
“Marco Polo” will premiere its entire 10-episode first season on Friday, Dec. 12 at 3:01 a.m. ET on Netflix.