Fresh off his breakout turn in The White Lotus, Will Sharpe is trading sun-soaked resorts for powdered wigs. The actor has been cast as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Sky’s new limited series Amadeus, a prestige reimagining of Peter Shaffer’s iconic play that will place Sharpe at the center of one of history’s most famous rivalries.

It’s been nearly four decades since Milos Forman’s Amadeus won Best Picture and turned Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s genius — and Antonio Salieri’s envy — into pop culture legend. Now, Sky is bringing the story back to the screen, this time as a five-part limited series with a bold new twist.

The series, titled Amadeus, will also star Paul Bettany (WandaVision, MCU) as Salieri and Gabrielle Creevy (Three Women) as Constanze Weber, Mozart’s devoted wife. Adapted by Joe Barton (Black Doves, The Lazarus Project), the project promises a reimagined, serialized take on Peter Shaffer’s stage play, mixing historical drama with the sharp edge of modern prestige television.

Will Sharpe Leads the Amadeus Cast as Mozart

Mozart has never really left the cultural stage — his music and myth have endured across centuries — but the last definitive on-screen portrayal was Tom Hulce’s exuberant performance in 1984’s Amadeus. That film, and F. Murray Abraham’s Oscar-winning Salieri, are still touchstones for how audiences imagine the composer’s brilliance and downfall.

By reviving the story now, Sky is chasing the same energy fueling the resurgence of prestige musical dramas. Between Elvis, Maestro, and even the upcoming Michael biopic, audiences are fascinated by flawed geniuses and the cost of their brilliance. Framing Mozart as an 18th-century “rock star” speaks directly to that trend, offering a historical counterpoint to our current obsession with tortured modern icons.

Sharpe might be the biggest surprise here — not because he lacks talent, but because his career has rarely placed him front and center in period costume drama. Sharpe’s turn in The White Lotus revealed a quiet, simmering intensity, while his earlier work in Giri/Haji showcased both vulnerability and volatility. Both qualities could make for a fascinating Mozart: charismatic, mercurial, and self-destructive. Bettany, meanwhile, feels like inspired casting for Salieri. Having moved from Marvel’s Vision to darker prestige projects like A Very British Scandal, Bettany carries the kind of weighty presence that a devout, jealous court composer demands.

Creevy’s casting as Constanze Weber brings fresh energy to the role, positioning her as more than a passive spouse — a partner as fiercely loyal as she is underestimated. They’re joined by a strong supporting ensemble, including Rory Kinnear as Emperor Joseph, Jonathan Aris as Leopold Mozart, and Viola Prettejohn (The Crown) as Princess Elizabeth.

Paul Bettany’s Salieri Faces Off Against Mozart

Shaffer’s play and Forman’s film leaned heavily on the psychological duel between Mozart and Salieri, with Salieri framing himself as God’s spurned servant, cursed to recognize brilliance but never match it. Barton’s involvement suggests this new version may sharpen that tension into something even more serialized and psychological. His work on Giri/Haji and The Lazarus Project demonstrates a knack for weaving complex relationships into genre-driven storytelling.

With Julian Farino (Patrick Melrose) and Alice Seabright (Sex Education) directing, expect a mixture of grandeur and intimacy: lavish ballrooms and candlelit courts, but also close, tense confrontations that feel modern in their emotional intensity. Where the 1984 film leaned into theatricality, this series could go grittier, leaning into the paranoia, obsession, and blurred morality at the heart of Salieri’s rivalry with Mozart.

The genius-versus-jealousy story at the heart of Amadeus is timeless. Still, this new series seems poised to reframe it for a generation raised on antiheroes, prestige biopics, and morally gray rivalries. By casting Sharpe and Bettany in roles forever defined by Hulce and Abraham, Sky isn’t just remaking a classic; it’s reinterpreting Mozart for today.

Amadeus will premiere later this year on Sky and streaming service NOW.

via Collider