10 Upcoming New HBO Series To Be Excited About

7. The Young Pope

Jude Law The Young Pope
HBO

HBO have drafted in some international help on this one, creating the show along with Sky in the UK and Canal+ in France. Paolo Sorrentino, whose film The Great Beauty (or La grande bellezza) won the Best Foreign Language Oscar in 2014, will be directing the 8-part series.

It'll tell the story of the newly-elected Pope Pius XIII (born Lenny Belardo), played by Jude Law, as he struggles to deal with his newfound responsibilities. He's said to be a complex and conflicted character, who is resitant to Vatican courtiers regardless of the implications for his authority. Dianne Keaton is also set to star as Sister Mary, an American nun who raised Belardo and helped him become Pope.

Sorrentino has said that the series will cover themes such as the search of faith, how to handle power, and the inner-conflict "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." It promises to be a different take on the Catholic Church, and should look great, while the cast alone makes it worth checking out.

Contributor
Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.