Gabriel Leone – Ayrton Senna – Image: Raquel Espírito Santo / Netflix / Getty Images
Described as Netflix’s «most ambitious series in Latin America,» a biopic on the life of Ayrton Senna, the three-time Formula 1 world championship winner, is in development. We’re tracking everything you need to know about Signincluding plot, cast news, production updates, and Netflix release date.
Sign is an upcoming Netflix Original Brazilian biographical film based on the life and career of legendary F1 driver Ayrton Senna. the project was first announced in 2020.
In 2022, it was revealed that the series would be directed by Vincent Amorimwho previously directed feature films such as Yakuza Princess, dirty heartsand Good. Julia Rezende has also been listed as one of the directors, having previously directed the Netflix series. Girls of Ipanema.
Amorim had this to say about the project:
I have had many idols in the sport, but only one hero, Senna. I watched his career, I supported him, I was inspired by him and I cried the day he died.
Senna was an international hero, and through Netflix, a series about him will have global reach: it will be an international series, produced and directed by Brazilians, that will touch local audiences and tell Senna’s fantastic story to new audiences and old fans around the world.
Action and emotion defined who Senna was and what this series will be. We will put the audience in the driver’s seat, with Senna, in every single car he ever drove and try to reveal his genius while, at the same time, striving to understand the man, to open a window into his personal life, his challenges and his incredibly victorious career in a rigged sport against non-Europeans.
What is the plot of Sign?
We have the confirmed synopsis of the Sign series;
The miniseries will explore the personality and family relationships of Ayrton Senna da Silva. The starting point will be Ayrton’s career debut, when he moved to England, and culminating in the tragic accident at Imola, Italy, during the San Marino Grand Prix, when he passed away.
Who was Ayrton Senna?
Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver, a Formula 1 legend and considered one of the greatest F1 drivers in the history of the sport.
One of three Brazilian drivers to become a world champion, Senna won the world championship three times while driving for the McLaren racing team. Senna won a total of 41 Grands Prix and held the record for most positions (65) until he was finally beaten in 2006.
Senna (centre) the winner of the 1993 Brazilian Grand Prix
Unfortunately, on May 1, 1994, during the San Marino Grand Prix, a tragic accident during the race caused the death of Ayrton Senna. On the seventh lap of the race, Senna’s car rolled off the racing line off the track at Tamburello at 196 miles per hour (309 km/h) and, while attempting hard braking, crashed into an unprotected concrete barrier wall. The crash resulted in several devastating head injuries, and despite the best efforts of race medical personnel, Senna’s heart had stopped beating. Doctors at the hospital where he had been taken were able to restart his heart, and Senna was temporarily placed on a life support machine while his family could arrange for a priest to perform last rites.
In a tragic twist of fate, it was later revealed that Senna had planned to unfurl an Austrian flag that he had hidden in the car’s cockpit to honor the death of teammate Roland Ratzenberger, who had been killed in qualifying the previous day.
The Brazilian government declared three days of national mourning as his body was flown back to his home country for a state funeral. On the streets of his hometown of Sau Paulo, more than three million people lined the streets to pay their respects to his hero.
The state of Ayrton Senna’s funeral
The tragic weekend that resulted in the deaths of two drivers and saw several dangerous collisions resulted in much-needed safety improvements by the FIA, F1’s governing body. Every year more efforts are made to improve the safety of drivers.
The halo is one of the many new safety measures introduced in F1 over the years.
Who are the cast members of Sign?
In March 2023, Netflix announced the first new cast member of Senna in the form of gabriel leone.
Following the announcement of his choice, Leone released a statement via the Netflix media site that read:
“It is a great responsibility and also a great honor to be able to represent an icon that inspired so many people throughout his life, showing the world Brazilian sports talent”, says Leone. «Knowing that we will bring this story to millions of people in so many countries, through Netflix, inspires me to see this as one of the great roles of my career.»
Leone is well known throughout Latin America for roles in titles such as Sun, Duet, Dark days, and Boy guy.
Gabriel Leone will play Ayrton Senna in Senna – Raquel Espírito Santo / Netflix
It has been confirmed that Charlie Hamblett will play Martin Brundle, one of Ayrton Senna’s teammates and a competitor in Formula 3.
Charlie Hamblett (top left) and Martin Brundle (top right), below is Martin Brundle (left) with Ayrton Senna (right).
Alice Wegmann has been cast in an unnamed role, which has been confirmed by the Brazilian news site O Globo.
Image: Alice Wegmann
On July 6, Deadline confirmed that Kaya Scodelario joins the cast of Senna. However, her role in the series has yet to be revealed. Scodelario previously starred in Netflix’s short-lived ice skating drama Spinning Out and will also star in The Gentlemen, Guy Ritche’s upcoming TV adaptation of the 2019 film.
Also joining the cast of Senna are Tom McKay and Joe Hurst. This will be the first Netflix project for McKay, who previously starred in the BBC series Moving On, and Hulu’s black cake. Hurst, meanwhile, has already starred in Netflix series like The Dig, the BBC/Netflix co-production Wanderlust.
What is the episode count?
Initially, the series would consist of a total of eight episodes, but has since been reduced to six.
Each episode will last approximately 60 minutes.
what language will it be Sign be filmed in?
We can confirm that Sign will be filmed in Portuguese and English.
What is the production status of Sign?
Reported production status: Pre-production (Last update: 01/16/2023)
Sign It is reportedly in pre-production. However, we have yet to see any cast member reveals or filming dates. We would expect filming to begin sometime in 2023.
Given Senna’s life story, we’d expect filming to take place at various locations in Brazil and the UK. Filming could also take place in various locations around the world where Senna had raced in Formula 1.
What is the episode count?
It has been confirmed that there will be a total of six episodes.
Each episode will last approximately 60 minutes.
When is the Sign Netflix release date?
Given the potential scale and ambition of Sign, the filming schedule is likely to be incredibly extensive. This means that a 2023 release date is highly unlikely, and a mid to late 2024 release date is more realistic.
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