An alliance of European broadcasters is developing a television series that will portray Leonardo da Vinci as a gay outsider.

According to Variety, the eight-part series is being developed by The Alliance, a group of European broadcasters who have joined forces to counter the rise of streaming networks such as Netflix and Amazon.

U.S. producer Frank Spotnitz (The Man in the High Castle) and British writer Steve Thompson (Sherlock) were recruited by Italy's RAI, a The Alliance member, to develop Leonardo.

The Mona Lisa and The Last Supper are among Da Vinci's best known paintings. He's also credited with conceptualizing the parachute, helicopter and tank.

“He was a real outsider for those times,” said Eleonora Andreatta, head of drama at RAI. “He was an illegitimate child, gay, vegetarian and left-handed.”

Andreatta said that the series will look at the artist and inventor's life through the eyes of Caterina, who was one of his models, which “will allow us to get inside his soul and his secrets.”

“The personal and adventurous aspects of his life prevail over the purely artistic ones,” she added.

The English-language series is expected to debut next year to mark the 500-year anniversary of Da Vinci's death.