Starz Sets 8 May 2026 U.S. Launch for ‘Amadeus’

Starz will launch the five-part limited series Amadeus in the United States on 8 May 2026, bringing Will Sharpe’s Mozart and Paul Bettany’s Salieri to the prestige‑TV mainstream after the drama’s earlier UK bow on Sky Atlantic in December 2025. Metacritic confirms the Starz U.S. premiere date, while the official Starz series page now positions the show alongside the network’s headline originals.

Adapted by Joe Barton from Peter Shaffer’s 1979 play rather than directly from Miloš Forman’s 1984 film, the series promises a character‑driven exploration of the fraught Mozart–Salieri dynamic in 18th‑century Vienna, with Gabrielle Creevy as Constanze Weber. STV Studios stresses that this is a “bold, character-driven reimagining” of Shaffer’s material, giving Sharpe’s twenty‑something Mozart greater narrative centrality than in the film. For Mozart listeners, that framing matters: it is likely to shape how a new generation imagines the composer’s personality, work habits, and relationship to the Viennese court.

The casting alone will pull in viewers far beyond the usual classical‑music orbit. Sharpe arrives with arthouse and prestige‑TV cachet, while Bettany brings Marvel‑verse name recognition; trade coverage from BroadwayWorld and others has highlighted the “extraordinary ensemble” built around them. Notably for Mozart specialists, that ensemble includes Jonathan Aris as Leopold Mozart, Ényì Okoronkwo as Lorenzo Da Ponte, and Rory Kinnear as Emperor Joseph II, suggesting that the series will stage at least parts of Die Entführung aus dem Serail K. 384, Le nozze di Figaro K. 492, and Don Giovanni K. 527 within the drama’s arc.

Shaffer’s play has long dominated the popular image of Mozart as manic savant and Salieri as murderous mediocrity; the 1984 film cemented that view. This new retelling, serialized over five hours, could either nuance or further entrench those caricatures. For teachers, presenters, and historically minded listeners, 8 May 2026 is therefore a date to circle: questions about what the show gets right—or fabulously wrong—about Mozart’s working life, his Catholic piety, and the realities of Viennese musical politics will immediately enter the public conversation.

Starz subscribers in the U.S. will be able to stream Amadeus on demand through the network’s platform from 8 May; international roll‑outs will continue via Sky and partner broadcasters. AOL’s coverage indicates that further territories are planned but not yet fully dated. MozartPortal will follow with a closer read once the full series is available, episode by episode, against the documentary record.