The star will play Antonio Salieri in Amadeus, opposite Will Sharpe in the title role.
First mentioned as part of UP NEXT 2024, Sky’s adaptation of Amadeus comes from writer Joe Barton (The Lazarus Project).
The series aims to reimagine Peter Schaffer’s play, which famously inspired the lengthy 1984 film by director Miloš Forman. It dramatizes the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and a fictional rivalry with fellow composer Antonio Salieri.
With Will Sharpe (Giri/Haji) playing Mozart, Paul Bettany (Wandavision, A Very British Scandal) now joins the project as Salieri.
Here’s what the producers say about Amadeus:
Set within the musical hub of bustling Vienna at the end of the 18th century, twenty-five-year-old Amadeus arrives in the city no longer a child and determined to carve his own path. Recently unemployed and without the management of his father, Amadeus finds an unlikely ally in a young singer who will become his wife, fiery Constanze Weber Mozart. Her connections help bring him into the orbit of the Italian opera powerhouse and court composer Antonio Salieri, setting the three of them on a collision course that will ultimately define their lives and their legacies for years to come.
Joe Barton’s adaptation promises to expand and interrogate the mythic rivalry of the two composers. It will ask audiences to bear witness to the making and unmaking of a musical genius by those that loved and envied him most.
Paul Bettany said:
“I can’t wait to work with Julian Farino, Joe Barton, Sky, and Will Sharpe who, for my money, is hands down the most exciting actor of his generation.”
Amadeus comes from Two Cities Television (part of STV Studios) in association with Sky Studios. Paul Gilbert and Megan Spanjian are Executive Producers for Sky Studios. Michael Jackson (Patrick Melrose) and Stephen Wright (Blue Lights) are Executive Producers for Two Cities Television. Julian Farino (Giri/Haji) and Alice Seabright (Sex Education) will direct. Barton, Sharpe and Farino also serve as Executive Producers.
Production starts on Amadeus this Spring in Hungary. We’ll keep you posted.