Netflix made a grand statement with the revealing of its highly anticipated limited series The Leopard, an adaptation of Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s classic novel set in Sicily. This marks the streamer’s most ambitious project in Italy to date.
On Tuesday, Netflix hosted a packed press conference in the frescoed ballroom of Rome’s central Hotel Plaza, a location that also served as a filming site for one of the show’s pivotal scenes.
The Leopard is set to make its official premiere in Rome on March 3 with a black-tie gala at the Eternal City’s Opera Theatre before its global release on March 5.
This opulent historical drama—comparable to Downton Abbey or The Crown in scope and ambition—offers a modern reinterpretation of the sensual Sicilian epic famously brought to the screen by Luchino Visconti.
His 1963 adaptation, starring Claudia Cardinale, Alain Delon, and Burt Lancaster, won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and is now regarded as a cornerstone of Italian cinema.
Netflix’s VP of Italian originals, Eleonora Andreatta, emphasized that The Leopard demonstrates the company’s ambitious vision for Italian productions, citing the series as a highlight in a recent L.A. presentation by the streaming giant’s chief content officer, Bela Bajaria.
“We’ve made a sumptuous and emotionally-charged show that captures the current timeliness of the novel,” Andreatta stated. However, she declined to reveal the budget, which is believed to exceed €40 million ($42 million).
The six-episode series, set against the backdrop of Sicily’s social revolution in the 1860s, features top model Deva Cassell—daughter of Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel—in a breakout role as Angelica Sedara.
Angelica, a striking young woman from a middle-class background, becomes a disruptive force in aristocratic society, a role originally played by Cardinale.
Cassell, who made her acting debut in Laura Luchetti’s 2023 The Beautiful Summer, is also set to appear in a Twilight-inspired adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera, directed by Alexandre Castagnetti.
Kim Rossi Stewart (Romanzo Criminale) takes on the role of Don Fabrizio Corbera, Prince of Salina, a character originally portrayed by Lancaster, while Saul Nanni (Love & Gelato) plays his nephew Tancredi Falconeri, following in the footsteps of Delon. Benedetta Porcaroli (Baby) stars as Concetta, the prince’s daughter, who harbors a deep love for Tancredi.
Filmed primarily in breathtaking Sicilian locations, the series centers on the internal struggle of patriarch Don Fabrizio. He must decide whether to arrange a marriage between his ambitious nephew Tancredi and the wealthy, beautiful Angelica—a union that could secure his family’s financial future.
However, this decision would come at the expense of Concetta’s happiness. As described in the official synopsis, the series explores “timeless themes: power, love, and the cost of progress.”
“Angelica is a multi-layered character,” Cassell explained at the press conference. “She comes from a humble background and has an opportunity to enter the echelon of nobility.
But she is torn. She doesn’t feel comfortable in this [aristocratic] world. She does everything she can to cling on to Tancredi. But the more things progress, the more she realizes that she has her own hidden identity.”
British director Tom Shankland, known for Netflix’s true crime series The Serpent, serves as the lead director of The Leopard.
The script was written by Richard Warlow—who previously collaborated with Shankland on The Serpent—alongside Benji Walters. Italian filmmakers Giuseppe Capotondi and Laura Luchetti directed Episodes 4 and 5, respectively.
The series is lead-produced by Fabrizio Donvito of Italy’s Indiana Production in partnership with Moonage Pictures, the U.K. production company helmed by the producers of Peaky Blinders.
