Ayrton Senna will be portrayed by Brazilian actor Gabriel Leone in the upcoming Netflix series featuring his life, according to the company’s announcement.
The series, which is aimed towards Latin American viewers, will be shot in Portuguese and star Brazilian actor Gabriel Leone as the three-time world champion.
Senna fans in the West need not worry, though, as the series will also be shot in English, making the Brazilian’s extraordinary tale accessible to a wider audience.
The year Senna passed away in a racing accident in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, Leone, now 29 years old, was born. He became well-known for his part in Dom, an Amazon-produced Brazilian television series. His casting was revealed on the day that Senna would have turned 63.
He will also make an appearance in another upcoming motorsport movie. Alfonso de Portago, the first Spanish driver to place on the podium in Formula 1, will be portrayed by Leone in Michael Mann’s film Ferrari.
The Ferrari film will feature the 1957 crash during the Mille Miglia sports car event when De Portago, his co-driver, and ten spectators all perished.
Senna debuted in Formula 1 in 1984 and won the world championship three times with McLaren between 1988 and 1991. Th e Brazilian switched to Williams in 1994, but was killed in an accident during his third race with the squad.
Fans will have the opportunity to watch the life of Beco or Becao, the driver’s endearing nicknames among friends and family, rather than Senna in Netflix’s Senna series.
“More than just remembering remarkable moments in his career, the miniseries is an invitation to explore the personality and family relationships of the three-time F1 champion,” Netflix said.
Even though there are no definite release dates at this time, Netflix confirmed pre-production is apparently underway.
