Paul Bettany Will Play Antonio Salieri in Series Adaptation of AMADEUS

According to a report from Variety, Paul Bettany, who was recently seen on Broadway in The Collaboration, has just joined the upcoming limited series Amadeus.

Based on the life of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the series takes inspiration from Peter Shaffer's Tony-winning play of the same name and is written by Joe Barton and Julian Farino of British crime drama Giri/Haji. 

Joining the previously announced Will Sharpe, who is leading the show as Mozart,  Bettany will be playing Mozart's longtime rival Antonio Salieri.

A press release revealed that “Barton’s adaptation will expand and interrogate the mythic rivalry of the two composers. Hero of his own story but villain to history, Salieri’s envy turns vengeful as he uses any means necessary to thwart Mozart and protect his position in the establishment.”

In a statement, Bettany had this to say about joining the project: “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."

The series will begin production this spring in Hungary.

The original production of Amadeus opened in London in 1979. It moved to Broadway a year later, with a cast that included Ian McKellen, Tim Curry, and Jane Seymour. It won 5 Tony Awards, including Best Play.

Synopsis

Recently unemployed and without the management of his father, Amadeus (Sharpe) 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 (Bettany), setting the three of them on a collision course that will ultimately define their lives and their legacies for years to come.