Marco Polo Netflix Release Date: Trailer Video Released for $90 Million Series

Netflix released the trailer for its new original TV series "Marco Polo" on its official YouTube channel on Tuesday, Oct. 28.

The 10-episode series is about the life of explorer Marco Polo as he traveled throughout 13th century China where he came to face Kublai Khan, a Mongolian general and statesman who conquered China and became the first emperor of the country's Yuan Dynasty (1260-1294).

The streaming media company revealed that "Marco Polo" cost about $90 million to produce, or around $9 million per episode. It costs a lot more than the usual list of Netflix TV series that stood between $3.8 million to $4.5 million per episode.

"Marco Polo" will also feature some Wuxia-style kung fu to play up the elements of medieval China. As Marco Polo navigates Kublai Khan's territory, he encounters armies, ancient cities and golden temples.

"Marco Polo" was created by John Fusco while Harvey Weinstein served as executive producer.

Lorenzo Richelmy portrays Marco Polo while Benedict Wong plays Kublai Khan. They are joined by Joan Chen, Chin Han, Zhu Zhu, Olivia Cheng and more.

The series was originally developed for Starz, but production encountered problems in China regarding shooting locations before falling in the lap of The Weinstein Company.

Weinstein said after "a rough start," they are now more stable and starting a surge into TV production.

"The way to add stability to the company is to be in the television business," Weinstein said through a phone interview.

Weinstein stated that his goal is "to create a television operation as powerful as the theatrical division," something he plans to achieve with "Marco Polo" and future projects such as a pilot for the "Scream" series and a "Sin City" television series.

"Marco Polo" will premiere on Netflix on Dec. 12.