Like it or not, Netflix Formula 1: Drive to survive continues to attract F1 fans new and old, and it’s no surprise that the streaming giant is eager to maintain that positive connection between them and the pinnacle of all-around motorsport. bridge. It tried this about a year and a half ago with a documentary about Michael Schumacher that seems to have been quite favorably received, although I’ve never really heard anyone talk about it much. And it will try again with a six-part miniseries about a legendary figure no less, if not more, Ayrton Senna. Netflix announced on Tuesday that it has cast Ayrton and he will be none other than 29-year-old Brazilian actor Gabriel Leone.
Here’s what Leone, host Vicente Amorim, producer Fabiano Gullane and Senna’s sister, Viviane, had to say about the news, courtesy Netflix:
Leone said: “It is a huge responsibility and also a great honor to be able to represent an icon that has inspired so many people throughout his life, showcasing his sporting talent. Brazilians in the world. “Knowing that we would be bringing this story to millions of people in so many countries, through Netflix, prompted me to consider this one of the great roles of my career.”
Amorim said: “Gabriel Leone has the charisma, intensity and tenderness of Senna. “We are delighted with how he put Ayrton to the test in his screen. He’s a Brazilian actor, an emerging international star,” added producer Fabiano Gullane. “He has the ability to faithfully portray the unique personality of Ayrton, especially the Ayrton we as a family have known, off the track,” enthused Viviane Senna, Ayrton’s older sister.
It’s encouraging to see an all-Brazilian team telling the story of a character, for whom he means so much to the world, something significantly bigger and more nuanced. for Brazil. Leone rose to prominence as the famous bandit in Amazon’s original Portuguese series church. Leone is 29 years old; It’s worth noting that today will be Senna’s 63rd birthday.
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As Amorim said Diversity in August when the project was given the green light — back when it was expected to have eight episodes rather than six — considered the characters in Senna’s story a very personal endeavor for him:
“I have many idols in this sport, but only one hero, Senna. I watched his races, I supported him, I was inspired by him and I was in tears the day he died,” Amorim said, summarizing the feelings of most Brazilians. for Senna’s character. […]
“Senna is an international hero and through Netflix a series about him will have a global reach – it will be an international series, produced and directed by Brazilians, that will move audiences around. fake home and tell Senna’s amazing story to new and old audiences around the world,” said Amorim.
I’m always surprised that no Senna-related project has really taken off since the 2010 documentary that we all know and can have very different opinions on. I’ll take a risk and say I loved it when I first saw it at an independent theater in New York when I was 17, and I still love it to this day. It’s far from perfect — no documentary can be — but it gets the hang of it and does it without skipping period footage for the early talking sequences. I was eager to see Leone’s portrait.
