We've got our first look at the upcoming limited series adaptation of Peter Shaffer's West End and Broadway hit Amadeus, due to premiere later this year via Sky Studios. As previously announced, the project stars Broadway alum Paul Bettany (The Collaboration) as Antonio Salieri and Will Sharpe (The White Lotus, Too Much) in the title role. Gabrielle Creevy (In My Skin) is Constanze Weber. Joe Barton (The Lazarus Project) has written, and Julian Farino (Giri/Haji) and Alice Seabright directed.
The series was initially expected to release last year, but now is set for 2025. In the U.K., the project will air on Sky and stream on NOW. NBCUniversal is handling international sales, and details of a U.S. release are forthcoming, as is the U.K. premiere date.
Shaffer's play takes inspiration from real-world figures, most famously composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, telling a mostly fictional story of intense rivalry between the world-famous musical genius and one of his less-remembered contemporaries, Antonio Salieri. The series adaptation will reportedly expand on Shaffer's play. The series was filmed in Hungary last year.
The play premiered at London's National in 1979 starring Paul Scofield and Simon Callow, coming to Broadway the following year with Ian McKellen and Tim Curry. Miloš Forman directed a 1984 film version starring F. Murray Abraham and Tom Hulce, which won eight Academy Awards including Best Picture. The play has continued to flourish in the years since, getting a Broadway revival in 1999 and countless London stagings along with several radio productions.
STV Studios' Two Cities Television is producing the forthcoming series in association with Sky Studios. Paul Gilbert and Megan Spanjian are serving as executive producers for Sky Studios, and Michael Jackson and Stephen Wright are executive producers for Two Cities. Barton, Sharpe, and Farino also serve as executive producers.