HOLLYWOOD SPY'S EXCLUSIVE SPOTLIGHT ON STARZ' FUTURE SHOWS: EXOTIC "HAREM", EPIC "MARCO POLO", ADVENTUROUS "DA VINCI'S DEMONS", PIRATE SET "BLACK SAILS"

Well, you know by now that Starz is one of HOLLYWOOD SPY's favourite channels. They know that we love epic adventure and they give it to us in their shows,

mostly in the amazing SPARTACUS saga which is getting it's third and final season next year. But what are some other Starz' series coming up in the future?

SULEY MAN'S HAREM

Definitely the most interesting of the upcoming Starz' projects, at least if you ask HOLLYWOOD SPY, is HAREM mini series which will be putting its lens on the Ottoman Empire. In cooperation with BBC Worldwide Productions they are developing a potential six-hour miniseries exploring the reign of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent and the rise and fall of the Ottoman Empire. Based on an idea by actress Gina Gershon, the series will probably be penned by "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe" scribe Ann Peacock. HAREM will tell the story of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent, the longest-reigning sultan of the Ottoman Empire who reconstructed its legal system and presided over the fleet's annexation of most of the Middle East. He was also a tyrant who enslaved half of Europe with fear and sword. The story would also revolve around Roxelana, a beautiful young slave girl from Ukraine whose ambitions knew no bounds and whose marriage to Suleyman

 kicked off what became known as the "Reign of Women" when she became a sultana. It is interesting that the topic of the six hour series has already been covered in extremely lavish Turkish MAGNIFICENT CENTURY soap opera, which has had four seasons so far and has become a huge TV hit around the Balkans.

DA VINCI'S DEMONS

An exciting and entertaining mix of a futuristic mind and medieval setting will be seen in DA VINCI'S DEMONS. Young Brit star Tom Riley (MONROE and LOST IN AUSTEN) will be playing the brash and brilliant 25 year old artist, inventor, swordsman, lover, dreamer and idealist Leonardo da Vinci during his turbulent youth in Renaissance Florence. He is described as being the Renaissance version of our 

modern day Tony Stark as he struggles to live within the confines of his own reality and time and begins to see and invent the future. So a man with lots of modern gadgets living in an old  century. Drop dead gorgeous Laura Haddock (UPSTAIRS DOWN STAIRS, THE PALACE) will take the lead female role of Lucrezia Donati, the mistress of Lorenzo Medici and lover of da Vinci.

MARCO POLO

Another epic show next year at Starz will be on famous 13th century explorer MARCO POLO in the form of a fantastical martial arts epic,

 chronicling the famous adventurer's early years in the court of Kublai Khan. Acting as the ruler's spy, ambassador and explorer, Marco treks across the Far East and returns with tales of his journeys. In a court filled with political betrayal and forbidden relationships, Marco must use his martial arts training to survive, but it is his ability to enchant Khan with imaginative tales of his kingdom that is often his best tool to stay alive. Wowza, sounds totally like my cup of tea! It will be produced by the Weinstein company and written and created by John Fusco (HIDALGO)! The show should have about ten episodes and we are patiently waiting to hear the first casting news!

 BLACK SAILS

In the sea of new pirate shows  (you remember that NBC is preparing REPUBLIC OF PIRATES, Sky is preparing SINBAD, and Fox is doing PORT ROYALE) Starz will offer us BLACK SAILS to be produced by famous Michael Bay for airing in 8 episodes in 2014. They're already preparing the 8 episode show set 20 years before the events in Robert Louis Stevenson’s "Treasure Island" and chronicling the adventures of Captain Flint, a smooth, fast talking pirate who’ll have a new member of his crew – John Silver. Together, they will fight for New Providence Island. The island is something of a paradise for society’s underbelly. It’s filled with thieves, prostitutes, fortune seekers, and of course, pirates. SPARTACUS  

creator, Steven DeKnight has recently revealed that he had the honour to read BLACK SAILS pilot and that he loved it so much that he is kicking himself for not coming up with it himself.