Lord have mercy! So I was just sitting in my office, listening to Enigma's "The Fall of a Rebel Angel" album, when without warning, an official trailer for HBO's THE NEW POPE was cast out to the masses. When the trailer begins, a cover of Jimi Hendrix's "All Along the Watchtower" begins to play. As I'm listening to Devlin's version (featuring Ed Sheeran) of Hendrix's classic tune, I'm suddenly greeted by a steamy Jude Law, saintly banana hammock and all. Meanwhile, on the other side of the sinful spectrum, John Malkovich marches to his post, his mind lost in thoughts of the Holy Father as well as the events to come. Is it me or has it suddenly gotten hot as Hell in here?
THE NEW POPE, an HBO, The Sky and Canal+ limited series, is set to have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 1. Produced by Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani for Wildside, the series is part of the Fremantle family, and is co-produced by Haut et Court TV and The Mediapro Studio.
Directing all nine episodes of THE NEW POPE is Academy Award-winning filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino. Written by Sorrentino and Umberto Cantarello and Stefano Bises, the limited series stars Jude Law (CAPTAIN MARVEL, VOX LUX) as Lenny Berlardo; and John Malcovich (RED, IN THE LINE OF FIRE) as Giovanni Paolo III. Returning from the cast of the first series' first installment, THE YOUNG POPE, are Silvio Orlando, Javier Cámara, Cécile de France, Ludivine Sagnier and Maurizio Lombardi. New cast for the limited series are Henry Goodman, Ulrich Thomsen, Mark Ivanir, Yuliya Snigir and Massimo Ghini. Guest starring as part of the series are also Sharon Stone and Marilyn Manson.
THE NEW POPE will make its Venice Film Festival premiere for all you sinners on September 1.