Oscar winner Diane Keaton and Jude Law have joined The Young Pope, a new miniseries that will air on HBO. It will be directed by Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino.
Keaton will play American nun Sister Mary, while Law will star as Pope Pius XIII, who was previously known as Lenny Belardo. Set shortly after he is a elected, Pius XIII tries to show full compassion for the poor and weak while still balancing the power that comes with being the head of the Catholic church. He will also have to face a populace that questions faith in the new millennium.
Production starts this week and it is a collaboration between HBO, Sky and Canal +. Sorrentino, who just directed the upcoming Youth with Michael Caine and won an Oscar for The Great Beauty, will direct all eight episode.
“The clear signs of God’s existence. The clear signs of God’s absence. How faith can be searched for and lost,” Sorrentino said in a statement. “The greatness of holiness, so great as to be unbearable when you are fighting temptations and when all you can do is to yield to them. The inner struggle between the huge responsibility of the Head of the Catholic Church and the miseries of the simple man that fate (or the Holy Spirit) chose as Pontiff. Finally, how to handle and manipulate power in a state whose dogma and moral imperative is the renunciation of power and selfless love towards one’s neighbour. That is what The Young Pope is about.”
Keaton won her Oscar for Annie Hall and was last seen in And So It Goes and 5 Flights Up. As for Law, he was last seen in Spy with Melissa McCarthy. He has Oscar nominations for Cold Mountain and The Talented Mr. Ripley.
The Young Pope is being produced by Wildside, with Haut et Court TV and Mediapro. The executive producers include Lorenzo Mieli & Mario Gianani and John Lyons for Wildside; and Caroline Benjo, Carole Scotta and Simon Arnal for Haut et Court TV.
image courtesy of INFphoto.com