Amadeus: Starz Acquires Period Drama Series Starring Will Sharpe as Mozart

Amadeus is headed to Starz. The cable network has acquired the period drama, which will depict Mozart’s life. The series was created by Sky in the UK.

Will Sharpe, Paul Bettany, and Gabrielle Creevy star in the series. Starz shared the following about the series:

“STARZ has acquired the exclusive U.S. rights to the five-part limited series “Amadeus,” about the rivalry between composers Mozart and Salieri. Based on Peter Shaffer’s 1979 award-winning play and adapted by Joe Barton (“Black Doves,” “Giri/Haji,” “The Lazarus Project”), the series stars Will Sharpe (“Too Much,” “White Lotus”) as musical prodigy Wolfgang “Amadeus” Mozart, BAFTA(R) and Emmy(R) Award nominated actor Paul Bettany (“A Very British Scandal,” “Wandavision”) as envious court composer Antonio Salieri, and Gabrielle Creevy (“Three Women,” “In My Skin”) as Mozart’s fiercely loyal wife, Constanze Weber. The acquisition deal for the Sky Original series was brokered by NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution.

“‘Amadeus’ is a perfect fit for our original series lineup – a bold, character-driven reimagining of one of history’s most intoxicating rivalries,” said Alison Hoffman, President, STARZ Networks. “With Will Sharpe, Paul Bettany and Gabrielle Creevy leading an extraordinary ensemble, the series captures the passion, envy, and genius at the heart of Mozart’s world. Audiences continue to be drawn to STARZ because of the power of our premium period dramas, and ‘Amadeus’ delivers that in spectacular form.”

“Amadeus” was commissioned by Sky in the UK and recently premiered to rave reviews, with The Standard calling it a “sexy riot” and a “must watch” and the Financial Times deeming it a “rip-roaring update driven by decadence.”

In the new series, twenty-five-year-old Amadeus arrives in bustling 18th Century Vienna, no longer a child prodigy and craving creative freedom, his world collides with two pivotal figures: his fiercely loyal future wife, Constanze Weber, and devoutly religious court composer, Antonio Salieri. As Amadeus’ brilliance continues to flourish in spite of his personal demons, a questionable reputation and skepticism from the conservative court, Salieri becomes increasingly tormented by this apparent divine gift. Amadeus is a threat to all that he holds dear in life: his talent, his reputation, even his faith in God. Salieri vows to bring him down. What begins as professional rivalry turns into a deeply personal obsession spanning 30 years, culminating in a murder confession and a desperate attempt to entwine himself with Mozart’s legacy forever.

“Amadeus” joins STARZ’s lineup of popular premium period dramas including “Outlander,” “Outlander: Blood of my Blood,” “Mary & George,” “The White Queen,” “The Spanish Princess” and more.

“Amadeus” also stars Rory Kinnear (“The Diplomat,” Skyfall) as Emperor Joseph, Lucy Cohu (“Becoming Jane”) as Cecilia Weber, Jonathan Aris (“The Sixth Commandment”) as Leopold Mozart, Ényì Okoronkwo (“Renegade Nell,” “The Lazarus Project”) as Da Ponte, Jessica Alexander (The Little Mermaid) as Katerina, Hugh Sachs (“Bridgerton”) as Von Strack, Paul Bazely (“Such Brave Girls”) as Von Swieten, Rupert Vansittart (“Game of Thrones”) as Rosenberg, Anastasia Martin (“In From The Cold”) as Aloysia Weber, Nancy Farino (“Masters of the Air”) as Josepha Weber, Olivia-Mai Barrett (“Invasion”) as Sophie Weber, Viola Prettejohn (“The Crown”) as Princess Elizabeth and Jyuddah Jaymes (“The Boys in The Boat,” “Hijack”) as Franz Süssmayr.

“Amadeus” is produced by Two Cities Television (part of STV Studios) in association with Sky Studios. The series is executive produced by John Griffin. Megan Spanjian also serves as executive producer for Sky, and Michael Jackson and Stephen Wright serve as executive producers for Two Cities Television. “Amadeus” is written by Joe Barton (“Black Doves,” “Giri/Haji,” “The Lazarus Project”). Julian Farino (“Giri/Haji”) and Alice Seabright (“Chloe,” “Sex Education”) serve as directors. Barton, Sharpe, Bettany and Farino also serve as executive producers. Seabright serves as co-executive producer. NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution oversees international sales of the series on behalf of Sky.”

More photos from the series are below.

What do you think? Will you watch this series when it arrives on Starz?