Luchino Visconti’s 1963 masterpiece Il Gattopardo (The Leopard) gets a bold new interpretation in Netflix’s upcoming historical epic, set to premiere March 5, 2025. This reimagining of Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s seminal novel transports viewers back to 19th-century Sicily, where fading aristocracy collides with the seismic shifts of Italian unification. Helmed by a mix of Italian screen veterans and rising stars, the series promises lush cinematography, intricate political drama, and a fresh exploration of power, identity, and decay.
While honoring Visconti’s opulent visual legacy, the adaptation introduces nuanced perspectives on class and colonialism, with a cast that embodies both the grandeur and grit of the era. From aging princes to fiery revolutionaries, each character pulses with the contradictions of a world in flux. Below, meet the actors breathing new life into this timeless saga.
Step Into ‘The Leopard aka Il Gattopardo’: Meet the Cast Members
– Francesco Colella as Prince Fabrizio Salina
Francesco Colella, born in Rome in 1973, is one of Italy’s most revered stage and screen actors, known for his commanding presence in dramas like The Young Pope (2016) and 1992 (2015). A graduate of Rome’s National Academy of Dramatic Arts, he brings a Shakespearean gravitas to Prince Salina, the conflicted patriarch clinging to tradition amid revolution.
Colella’s recent turn in The King of Laughter (2021) showcased his ability to balance vulnerability and authority—a duality critical to Salina’s arc. Off-screen, he’s an advocate for Italian theater preservation, mirroring his character’s struggle to protect heritage in a changing world.
– Astrid Meloni as Angelica Sedara
Astrid Meloni, a breakout star of Italian television (DOC – Nelle tue mani), steps into Claudia Cardinale’s iconic role as Angelica, the radiant bourgeois beauty who captivates Salina’s nephew. Meloni’s background in dance infuses Angelica with a magnetic physicality, while her work in indie films like L’Arminuta (2021) highlights her emotional depth.
Meloni’s casting signals a modern take on Angelica, emphasizing her agency in navigating Sicily’s patriarchal structures. In interviews, she’s called the character “a mirror of Italy itself—charming, cunning, and endlessly adaptive.”
– Mario Patanè as Salina’s Butler
Mario Patanè, a Sicilian character actor with over 50 film credits, brings wry authenticity to the Prince’s loyal but world-weary butler. A staple of Italian cinema, he’s appeared in The Traitor (2019) and Inspector Montalbano, often embodying the everyman’s perspective on history’s tides.
Patanè’s role, though supporting, serves as a narrative anchor, offering sly commentary on the aristocracy’s foibles. His chemistry with Colella is said to echo the novel’s poignant mentor-student dynamic.
– Marcus Marcelli as Tancredi Falconeri
British-Italian actor Marcus Marcelli (Medici, The Forgotten Army) takes on Alain Delon’s legendary role as Tancredi, Salina’s opportunistic nephew torn between love and ambition. Marcelli’s fluency in Italian and his training at London’s RADA make him a bridge between the story’s European sensibilities.
Marcelli’s previous roles as charming rogues (The Last Kingdom) align with Tancredi’s duality—a romantic idealist turned pragmatic player. His performance reportedly crackles with the restless energy of youth reshaping destiny.
– Corrado Invernizzi as Don Calogero Sedara
Corrado Invernizzi, a Milanese theater titan, embodies Don Calogero, Angelica’s scheming father and emblem of the rising bourgeoisie. A frequent collaborator with director Luca Ronconi, Invernizzi’s stage mastery lends operatic scale to Sedara’s hunger for legitimacy.
Invernizzi’s film work (The Vice of Hope, 2018) often explores moral ambiguity—a trait he channels into Sedara’s blend of vulgarity and vision. Critics predict his scenes with Colella will be the series’ ideological battleground.
Francesco Giulio Cerilli as The Donnafugata Boy
Francesco Giulio Cerilli, a 19-year-old Neapolitan newcomer, plays a pivotal young villager whose interactions with Salina symbolize the passing of old guard. Cerilli, discovered in an open casting call, brings raw authenticity honed in Naples’ street theater scene.
His character—a fictional addition to the source material—serves as the Prince’s silent conscience, reflecting the cost of progress. Director Paolo Sorrentino (rumored to be a creative consultant) praised Cerilli’s “preternatural stillness” on set.
– Benedetta Porcaroli as Concetta Salina
Benedetta Porcaroli, star of Netflix’s Baby (2018–2020), portrays Concetta, Salina’s devout daughter stifled by societal expectations. Porcaroli’s nuanced performance in The Catholic School (2021) prepared her for Concetta’s quiet rebellion and repressed longing.
The role marks Porcaroli’s transition into period drama, with costumes and restraint replacing the modernity of Baby. She’s called Concetta “a woman screaming inside a gilded cage—a metaphor for Sicily.”
– Deva Cassel as A Sicilian Peasant
Deva Cassel, model and daughter of Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel, makes her acting debut as a peasant girl embodying the island’s oppressed spirit. Though brief, her role—filmed in her mother’s ancestral Puglia—is steeped in symbolism, with wordless scenes conveying resilience.
Cassel’s ethereal presence and fluency in Italian (she grew up in Rome) add layers to a character representing Sicily’s silent majority. Critics anticipate her performance will launch a promising career.
The Leopard streams on Netflix March 5, 2025—a sumptuous, subversive ode to a classic, redefined for a new generation.
