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Marco Polo (TV series)

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Genre
  
Historical Drama

Theme music composer
  
First episode date
  
12 December 2014

8.1/10
IMDb

8.7/10
TV

Created by
  
Ending theme
  
Marco Polo (TV series) wwwgstaticcomtvthumbtvbanners10491861p10491

Directed by
  
Joachim RønningEspen SandbergAlik SakharovDaniel MinahanDavid PetrarcaJohn MayburyJon AmielJames McTeigue

Starring
  
Lorenzo RichelmyBenedict WongJoan ChenRick YuneAmr WakedRemy HiiZhu ZhuTom WuMahesh JaduOlivia ChengUli LatukefuChin HanPierfrancesco FavinoRon YuanClaudia KimJacqueline ChanLeonard WuThomas ChaanhingChris PangGabriel ByrneMichelle Yeoh

Nominations
  
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music

Cast
  
Profiles

Marco polo season 2 official trailer hd netflix


Marco Polo is an American drama web television series inspired by Marco Polo's early years in the court of Kublai Khan, the Khagan of the Mongol Empire and the founder of the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368). The show premiered on Netflix on December 12, 2014. The series was written and created by John Fusco and stars Lorenzo Richelmy in the title role with Benedict Wong as Kublai Khan. The series is produced by The Weinstein Company. On January 7, 2015, Marco Polo was renewed by Netflix for a 10-episode second season, which premiered on July 1, 2016.

Contents

On December 12, 2016, Netflix announced they had canceled Marco Polo after two seasons. Sources told The Hollywood Reporter, the series' two seasons resulted in a $200 million loss for Netflix, and the decision to cancel the series was jointly taken by Netflix and The Weinstein Company.

Main cast

  • Lorenzo Richelmy as Marco Polo, the son of a Venetian merchant who travels to China and is ultimately left there as a guest of Kublai Khan, rising to official position in the court.
  • Benedict Wong as Kublai Khan, the fifth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire.
  • Joan Chen as Empress Chabi, the Khan's favourite and most important wife who is a valued unofficial adviser.
  • Pierfrancesco Favino as Niccolò Polo, Marco's father, a Venetian merchant.
  • Rick Yune as Kaidu, the Khan's cousin and rival, leader of the Ögedei Khanate.
  • Amr Waked as Yusuf, the Khan's Vice Regent. (season 1)
  • Remy Hii as Prince Jingim, the Khan's lawful son and heir.
  • Zhu Zhu as Nergui a.k.a. Princess Kokachin, a servant of Princess Kokachin, the Blue Princess of the Bayaut tribe, who disguises herself as the Princess.
  • Tom Wu as Hundred Eyes, a blind Taoist monk willfully enslaved to the Khan and sifu to Jingim and Marco Polo.
  • Mahesh Jadu as Ahmad, a Persian Muslim from Bukhara who is the Khan's Minister of Finance and adopted son.
  • Olivia Cheng as Jia Mei Lin, concubine of the late Emperor Lizong of Song and sister to chancellor Jia Sidao.
  • Uli Latukefu as Byamba, the Khan's bastard son, a general of both the imperial army and the Mongol horde.
  • Chin Han as Jia Sidao, the chancellor to the Song Emperors Huaizong and Duanzong, and Mei Lin's brother. (season 1, guest season 2)
  • Ron Yuan as Nayan, a prince of the Borjigin royal family and Nestorian Christian who finds himself torn between his faith and his khan. (season 2)
  • Claudia Kim as Khutulun, Kaidu's daughter and favored child, niece of the Khan, and a superb warrior in her own right. (season 2, recurring season 1)
  • Jacqueline Chan as Shakana, Kaidu's mother. (season 2)
  • Leonard Wu as Orus, Kaidu's son. (season 2)
  • Thomas Chaanhing as Gerel, a khan. (season 2)
  • Chris Pang as Arban, a khan. (season 2)
  • Gabriel Byrne as Pope Gregory X (season 2)
  • Michelle Yeoh as Lotus, the designated protector of the Song Dynasty's boy emperor and former lover of Bayan (Hundred Eyes). (season 2)
  • Recurring cast

  • Chloe Luthi (season 1) and Jaime Chew (season 2) as Ling Ling, the daughter of Mei Lin and the former Emperor of the Song Dynasty.
  • Max Kellady as Emperor Duzong, the son of the empress dowager and the former Emperor of the Song Dynasty.
  • Esther Low as Kokachin, the real Blue Princess of the Mongol Bayaut tribe.
  • Season 1

  • Tan Kheng Hua as Xie Daoqing, empress dowager of the Song Dynasty.
  • Lawrence Makoare as Za Bing, Princess Kokachin's eunuch protector.
  • Shu An Oon as Jing Fei, Mei Lin's friend, also an imperial concubine.
  • Nicholas Bloodworth as Tulga, Kokachin's guardian.
  • Vanessa Vanderstraaten as Princess Sorga, one of Jingim's wives.
  • Corrado Invernizzi as Maffeo Polo, Marco's uncle.
  • Baljinnyamyn Amarsaikhan as Ariq Böke, the Khan's brother, overseer of Karakorum.
  • Season 2

  • Daniel Tuiara as Sukh, Ahmad's sworn Burmese warrior.
  • Jason Chong as Kasar
  • Tosh Zhang as Bai
  • Byambadorj Altanhuyag as General Qaban
  • Bayarsaikhan Baljinnyam as Bariyachi
  • Aaron Jackson as Maximus Dutti
  • Laura Prats as Shoreh
  • Togo Igawa as Chuluun
  • Production

    The series was originally developed at Starz, which had picked up the series in January 2012. After attempts to film in China failed, the project was released back to The Weinstein Company. Netflix then picked up the series for a 10-episode season, for approximately $90 million, making it one of the most expensive TV shows in the world, second to Game of Thrones. The project was officially announced at Netflix in January 2014. Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg serve as executive producers and directed the pilot and second episodes, "The Wayfarer" and "The Wolf and the Deer", respectively. The series was filmed in Italy, Kazakhstan, and at Pinewood Studios in Malaysia.

    Stuntman Ju Kun was working on the show alongside fight choreographer Brett Chan, but went missing with the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 during pre-production.

    To prepare for her role as Chabi, Joan Chen read the book The Secret History of the Mongol Queens by Jack Weatherford, as she wanted her performance to reflect the culture of the time period.

    During his extensive research, show creator John Fusco traveled the Silk Road by horseback and also crossed the Ming Sha Dunes of Western China on camel. In Venice, Italy he sought out and studied the Last Will and Testament of Marco Polo. While some Mongolian viewers and experts view it as "riddled with historical errors", many have praised the series. Orgil Narangerel, who played Genghis Khan in a BBC documentary, said it was more accurate than any previous foreign portrayal of Mongolian culture. "As a Mongol and an artist, 'Marco Polo' makes me feel like our dreams are coming true," he told AFP. "I watched all 10 episodes in just one day.".

    Music

    The series featured music by Mongolian bands Altan Urag and Batzorig Vaanchig of Asia's Got Talent, who cameoed as a singer. Daniele Luppi composed the main theme, whilst Peter Nashel and Eric V. Hachikian are composers of the original score.

    Reception

    The first season of Marco Polo was met with negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds a rating of 24%, based on 33 reviews, with a rating average of 4.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "An all-around disappointment, Marco Polo is less entertaining than a round of the game that shares its name." On Metacritic, the show's first season has a score of 48 out of 100 based on 21 reviews by critics, indicating "mixed reviews".

    In his review for Entertainment Weekly, Jeff Jensen gave the first season a "B−" rating, calling the premise "stale", but added "Somewhere in the middle of episode 2, though, Marco Polo becomes surprisingly watchable. The filmmaking becomes bolder." Writing for People, Tom Gliatto praised the series, calling it "...a fun, body-flinging, old-fashioned epic". USA Today reviewer Robert Bianco gave the series 112 stars out of 4, saying, "Clearly what Netflix hopes you'll see a [sic] big-bucks, prestige entertainment along the lines of that HBO fantasy epic, but in truth, Marco is far closer to one of those cheesy international syndicated adventures."

    On March 23, 2015, the President of Mongolia Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj presented John Fusco and the Marco Polo creative team with an award, honoring their positive portrayal and global presentation of Mongolian subject matter. Fusco, himself, has described the series as historical fiction, based on the accounts of the Venetian traveler Marco Polo.

    References

    Marco Polo (TV series) Wikipedia