‘White Lotus’ Star Will Sharpe To Play Musical Genius Mozart In TV Series For Sky

Max Goldbart
·2 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: Sky has found its Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

White Lotus star Will Sharpe will play the lead role in Amadeus, Joe Barton’s playful TV series reimagining of the life of the musical genius, which was revealed at development stage by Deadline in late 2022.

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Sharpe will reunite with Giri/Haji writer Barton and director Julian Farino for the show that comes from Patrick Melrose producer Two Cities Television in association with Sky Studios.

Adapted from Peter Shaffer’s stage play, Amadeus is set within the musical hub of bustling Vienna at the end of the 18th century, as the 25-year-old titular character 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, the fiery Constanze Weber Mozart. Her connections help bring him into the orbit of the court composer Antonio Salieri, setting the three of them on a collision course that will ultimately define their lives and legacies for years to come.

Barton’s reimagining will feel “fresh, intimate and irreverent, and will feel at times in the hands of the characters themselves,” according to Sky.

More cast will be revealed in due course and production will begin later this year. Sky is also currently preparing an adaptation of Day of the Jackal starring Eddie Redmayne and a limited series about the Lockerbie disaster with Colin Firth.

Sharpe broke out in the BBC and Netflix’s Giri/Haji and subsequently gained worldwide recognition for his role as Ethan in HBO’s White Lotus Season 2. Upcoming projects include a Lena Dunham rom-com for Netflix titled Too Much and Audrey Diwan’s erotic drama Emmanuelle opposite Naomi Watts and Noémie Merlant. He has also landed a directing gig with Orion Pictures’ Crying in H Mart.

Barton recently penned Mark Wahlberg-starrer The Union for Netflix along with Keira Knightley vehicle Black Doves for the same streamer.

Amadeus is EP’d by Paul Gilbert, Megan Spanjian, Michael Jackson (Patrick Melrose) and Stephen Wright (Blue Lights). Farino (Giri/Haji) and Alice Seabright (Chloe, Sex Education) will direct. Barton, Sharpe and Farino also serve as EPs. NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution handles international sales.

Sharpe is repped by ARG, TUA & Independent.

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