The time is 1296 in Turkey. Marco Polo, his father and his uncle have just returned after a twenty five-year journey of the East. They tell the Duke of Venice about the riches they have found. The Duke of Venice doubts the stories of riches from China. Not long after he returned a war broke out between the cities of Genoa and Venice. Marco went to fight in a war. He met a sailor named Rusticello. Rusticello was also a writer. Marco and his new friend are captured by the Duke and Duchess of Genoa. The Duchess was impressed with Marco Polo's stories and visits him in prison. Marco tells the Duchess about his adventures in China and Kublai Kahn. During this time, Rusticello continues to write about the adventures of Marco Polo. After spending years in prison, the war is over and Marco is released. Rustincello shows him the book he has written about his adventures. Marco doubts that anyone would believe him and asks Rusticello to share his stories. The Travels of Marco Polo became one of the most influential books of the Middle Ages. Written by Nest Family Entertainment

Assigned to accompany two priests on a mission to convert the court of Kublai Khan (Brian Dennehy, "Assault on Precinct 13") to Christianity, Marco Polo (Ian Somerhalder, "Lost") is abandoned in the mountains when the priests, doubting the very existence of China, turn back. Polo eventually pushes bravely forth alone toward the fabled country where he is accepted as an envoy into Khan's court. Marooned on the far side of the world, Polo, accompanied by his servant, Pedro (B.D. Wong, "Law & Order: SVU"), advances as a Mongol grandee for 20 extraordinary years. What he eventually brings back with him to the West is a chronicle that changed history forever. "Marco Polo," a Hallmark Original Movie Event, premieres Saturday, June 2 (9 p.m., ET/PT). Written by Hallmark Channel

With the massive exterior sets, lavish interior sets and a multitude of Asian extras left over from this production, Panda had writers Oreste Biancoli and Duccio Tessari fashion a sword-and-sandal/mythological muscleman epic, Maciste alla corte del Gran Khan (1961), placing hero Maciste in a Chinese setting. Genre specialist Riccardo Freda was brought in to direct, Gordon Scott (I) was cast as Maciste (renamed "Samson" for the U.S. version) and Yoko Tani was kept on as the female lead. It became regarded as one of the better films of that genre.