Fans of the acclaimed 1984 film Amadeus are slamming the trailer for a new adaptation of the story of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Directed by Miloš Forman and starring F. Murray Abraham and Tom Hulce, the original film won eight Oscars, four Golden Globes, and four BAFTAs, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. It was based on the 1979 stage play of the same name.
Sky has unveiled the first trailer for its new miniseries, based on the same story as the acclaimed 1984 film and set for release this December. The project has sparked backlash, with many questioning the need for a remake—particularly over the casting of Will Sharpe, who is half Japanese, as Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
“I had no idea Mozart was East Asian. It’s a good thing we have Hollywood to provide such historical accuracy here. Were something irregular to happen, like Hollywood portray Obama as a White man, I wouldn’t bother watching,” one fan said on social media.
Another wrote, “Literally not a single person was asking for this.”
Another commenter sarcastically added, “Is this the one where we find out that the true genius behind Amadeus is a paraplegic non binary Black woman that taught him everything, and wrote his music.”
Multiple social media users pondered why Sky was trying to remake Amadeus when the 1984 version was such a perfect production.
“Why on Earth would we need a retelling of a familiar story, when this banger of the movie already exists?” a commenter wrote, while another said, “Just remaster in 4K and make an annual run in movie theaters. I’ve watched it so many times and will watch again gladly.”
Fans also mocked Sky Studios for ending the trailer with the tagline “Believe in original stories,” calling the irony of that message lost on the network.
“LOL they really ended that trailer with ‘believe, in original stories??’ Really?? After remaking perhaps the one movie that never, ever, needs to [be] remade?” one unhappy fan wrote.
The limited series, produced by Two Cities Television with Sky Studios, was written by Black Doves creator Joe Barton, who responded with sarcasm after the trailer for his project drew heavy criticism.
“I wrote this. As part of our promotion, we are going to destroy every single copy of the 1984 original movie in existence and there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it,” he wrote on X.
I wrote this. As part of our promotion we are going to destroy every single copy of the 1984 original movie in existence and there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it https://t.co/HCaT9q4DQ5
— Joe Barton (@JoeBarton_) October 14, 2025
