Marco Polo bridged a divide and carved a path for the world we live in today

Ed Power talks to the team behind the new sex and swords romp based on Marco Polo

Tue, 02 Dec, 2014 - 00:00

Ed Power

IN AN airless hotel room in central London, the producers of Netflix’s $90m new medieval drama are juggling an awkward question. “I think people will probably compare our show with Game of Thrones,” nods Dan Minahan, a veteran of awards-garnering series such as Deadwood, True Blood and, yes, ‘sword and saucery’ smash Game of Thrones.

“I think Game of Thrones is fantastic. I devoted years of my life to working on it. What we are doing here is very different,” he explains.

Minahan may protest: nonetheless, at cursory inspection Marco Polo, the lavish romp he and creative partner John Fusco are here to plug, does indeed feel like a second cousin to Game of Thrones. Both are set in a pre-modern era and are heartily provisioned with sweeping battles and envelope-pushing sex (the latter is likely to become both a key selling point and source of controversy).

The difference, of course, is that Marco Polo is ostensibly a true story: that of the Italian explorer who, in the 13th century, boldly went where no European had previously dared venture, wending his way through the bandit kingdoms of Mongolia all the way to modern day China.

As played by Italian newcomer Lorenzo Richelmy — so committed to winning the part he submitted an unsolicited screen-test — Netflix’s Polo is a dashing rogue, with a ready sword hand, quick tongue and eye for the ladies. Given the Mongols were self-proclaimed sexual swashbucklers, Polo certainly gets more than he bargained for on that count, though Fusco rejects suggestions his show is gratuitous or licentious.

“This is the game you paid for. The Danger Game." #MarcoPolo #ComingSoon pic.twitter.com/7TdHa4ATP9
— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) November 30, 2014

“Read Marco Polo’s books,” he says. “They were very liberated sexually. He writes an entire chapter about what he learned from the ‘Yellow Emperor’s Sex Manual’. Kublai Khan (the Mongol emperor, played in the series by Benedict Wong) allowed him into the ‘Hall of the Five Desires’.

“From the beginning it was clear sex needed to be part of the vernacular. We had to differentiate ourselves from premium cable, which has a dark punitive take on sex. The Mongolians had very forward ideas about it.”

“I will remedy your flaws.” All episodes of @MarcoPoloMP, December 12th. Only on #Netflix pic.twitter.com/OV156J6J21
— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) November 28, 2014

Marco Polo represents a significant investment on the part of Netflix (the producers are coy about the reported $90m price tag). Shot in Kazakhstan and Malaysia, it features huge custom-built sets harking back to the grandiose days of Cecil B DeMille. Clearly the streaming service has noted the success of Game of Thrones — a bodice ripper that has made a virtue of its excessiveness —and is angling to win some of that audience.

“The idea was to have a more cinematic approach,” says Minahan. “We wanted to invest in sets rather than have a virtual green screen kind of thing. That technology is fantastic. However, I can sometimes sense when it’s not authentic. Physical sets give you so much more.”

"All Mongol women are born to the horse and the bow." #MarcoPolo #comingsoon pic.twitter.com/LKQiLInSd9
— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) November 27, 2014

The production has had a colorful gestation. A life-long Asiaphile, Fusco conceived of the project on a riding holiday across the historic Silk Road through Kazakhstan. Perched on his horse, he was struck by the stunning view of the steppes stretched as far as he could see.

Bring just a small part of that majesty to the screen, he felt, and he would have a hit television show.

"Fathers are destined to disappoint." All episodes of @MarcoPoloMP, December 12th. Only on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/LsU23RD02P
— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) November 26, 2014

Back in America, he and Minahan approached Harvey Weinstein, movie producer behind such iconic features as Pulp Fiction and The English Patient. With this influential networker on board, the plan was to work with Starz, the US network responsible for lusty Roman drama Spartacus.

However, the two sides differed over Starz’s plan to film in China and so Weinstein, Fusco and Minahan approached Netflix instead. To their delight and surprise, they were given creative freedom.

“Harvey had been thinking about the same sort of idea for a while,” reveals Fusco. “He and I had been working on some Asian-themed projects such as a sequel to [Ang Lee ‘wire-fu’ epic] Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. So he was interested in doing a Marco Polo series.

"One who sleeps wherever he lays his head can never understand the beast." #MarcoPolo #ComingSoon pic.twitter.com/ZOvJNjhRJ8
— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) November 25, 2014

"With Netflix, it’s been great chemistry and a great combination. I always knew I wanted it to be a TV series rather than a movie: there have been film versions of Marco Polo where you try to tell the whole story in two hours – it doesn’t work.”

Alongside the fighting and the sex, the producers believe Marco Polo will resonate with contemporary audiences. In seeking to bridge the divide between West and East, in some ways Polo was carving a path for the world we live in today, they feel.

“It’s a story about globalisation,” says Fusco. “That makes it really relevant. The Silk Road trade route was, if you think about it, the first information superhighway. It was a conduit for cultural, spiritual and technological interchange.

"Marco Polo was the earliest bridge between east and west – he met Kublai Khan, the world’s super power of the time.”

"Mongols do not lose." #MarcoPolo #ComingSoon pic.twitter.com/hWs0UtTgSY
— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) November 20, 2014

The irony, he says, is that, while Marco Polo’s achievements are largely overlooked in the West today, in China he remains a figure of historical significance.

“He is valued as someone who brought the beauty of China to the west. People in Europe believed that part of the world uncivilised. He came back with the message that, actually, they were more sophisticated: they had paper money, education. They had us beat in a lot of ways.”

"We give our blood for the Dynasty." #MarcoPolo #ComingSoon pic.twitter.com/IiC0rbVctp
— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) December 1, 2014

With so much invested, Netflix hopes Marco Polo will add to its roster of hits, following the success of Orange Is The New Black and House of Cards. For Fusco and Minahan, with their background in American network television, working with a streaming service is a new experience.

“With a lot of Netflix shows, they build popularity through word of mouth. They aren’t as focused on the number of viewers: they let popularity grow. It’s different from network TV and from premium cable, which is very much about ratings.

"Having that pressure taken off changes how we tell the story: it doesn’t have to be self contained within this one hour. We don’t have to be as concerned with exposition: Netflix allows us challenge the audience more, which is exciting and different.”