Marco Polo, about the legendary adventurer, was picked up Netflix with the intention of making it into a series. Starz released the project after concerns over filming in China.
Sources told TVGuide that producers now plan to shoot the series elsewhere, possibly in Malaysia.
There are nine-episodes planned for the series, which will chronicle the explorer’s journey during his early years in the court of Kublai Khan. Action will focus on the war between two empires in China during the 13th century, amid romance, religious tension, battles, and political scheming.
Marco Polo, a Venetian merchant and adventurer, lived from 1254 A.D. until 1324. He was in China from 1275 through 1291 before returning to Europe with many stories about his travels, according to Columbia University’s Asia for Educators. His writings left historians and others with a rich history of the time period among a dearth of other material.
Casting hasn’t been confirmed for any of the roles in Marco Polo but is supposed to happen early this year.
In fact, the details have been scarce for the television series. A page on IMDB, for example, a website that keeps tabs on movies and television series, is nearly completely blank.
Marco Polo comes from John Fusco (Young Guns) and Dave Erikson (Sons of Anarchy).
Harvey and Bob Weinstein, and Ben Silverman of Electus, originally developed the idea, and will all be executive producers.
There are rumors that Netflix has an option to not pick up the content as a series, in which case it would be re-formed into a movie.
