Fans of the celebrated 1984 film Amadeus are expressing their criticisms about the trailer for a new miniseries based on the life of the classical composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
The original film, directed by Milos Forman and featuring F. Murray Abraham and Tom Hulce, won eight Academy Awards and several other accolades, establishing itself as a classic. It’s based on a 1979 play, and many consider it one of the greatest films ever made.
Recently, Sky released a first look at this new series set to debut in December, which seems to have raised more questions than excitement. Why revisit a story that’s already been so masterfully told?
Adding to the confusion is the casting choice: Will Sharp, who is half Japanese, is playing the role of Mozart, an Austrian figure. Many fans are puzzled by this decision.
One fan jokingly remarked, “I didn’t know Mozart was East Asian. It’s great to see such historical accuracy from Hollywood. If they depicted Obama as white, I’d probably stop watching altogether,” as quoted by The Wrap.
Another commenter simply stated, “Literally not a single person was asking for this.”
In a sarcastic tone, someone asked, “Is this the one where we learn the real genius behind Amadeus is a paraplegic non-binary black woman who taught him everything?”
Fans are questioning the need to remake Amadeus, especially when the original has been deemed flawless.
One commenter expressed, “Why retell such a well-known story when the original is already brilliant? I’d prefer if they just remastered it in 4K and showed it in theaters every year. I’ve watched it countless times.”
Others were particularly unimpressed by the tagline at the end of the trailer: “Believe in the original story.” They felt the irony was lost on Sky.
“LOL, they seriously ended that trailer with ‘Do you believe in the original story??’ Really? After remaking something that never needed to be remade?” expressed one dissatisfied fan.
The limited series, produced by Two Cities Television in collaboration with Sky Studios, has prompted Joe Barton, its creator, to respond with sarcasm amid the backlash.
“I wrote this. As part of our promotion, we’re destroying all copies of the original 1984 movie. There’s nothing you can do about it,” he tweeted.
