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HBO, Sky, Canal+ board Pope drama

HBO, Sky and French broadcaster Canal+ are coproducing an eight-episode drama about a fictional Pope, starring Oscar-nominated actor Jude Law in the lead role.

Jude Law

Jude Law

Production on The Young Pope will begin this summer and will continue into 2016, filming predominantly in Italy as well as locations in the US, Africa and Puerto Rico.

All eight episodes will be directed by Paulo Sorrentino, who will write in collaboration with Tony Grisoni, Umberto Contarello and Stefano Rulli.

The Young Pope tells the controversial story of the beginning of Pius XIII’s pontificate. He is billed as a “complex and conflicted character” who was prone to conservative choices but also full of compassion towards the weak and poor.

It marks the first coproduction between European satcaster Sky and US premium cablenet HBO, though the two have a long-standing content deal that sees shows such as Boardwalk Empire air on the Sky Atlantic channel in the UK.

The series is being produced by Italy-based Wildside and coproduced by France’s Haut et Court TV. Exec producers for Wildside are Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani together with John Lyons. Caroline Benjo, Carole Scotta and Simon Arnal are exec producing for Haut et Court TV.

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