At last! Since Pope Francis took his title in 2013, many pundits have predicted that Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce (Brazil, Tomorrow Never Dies, Pirates of the Caribbean franchise) would one day play him given their uncanny resemblance. Now that day is here as Deadline is reporting that Pryce will portray the current Pope in Netflix‘s feature film The Pope, alongside Sir Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs, Thor franchise, Transformers: The Last Knight) as his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI.
Brazilian helmer Fernando Meirelles (City of God, The Constant Gardener) will direct the film centering on the Argentinian Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio and the first Jesuit Pope and the first from the Americas. The Pope will chronicle the story of Pope Benedict’s election in 2005 and subsequent resignation from the papacy eight years later. This opens the door for the Argentinian Cardinal Bergoglio, who was reluctant to take the post in 2013, but he has since become a force for tolerance and progressive change throughout the world.
Screenwriter Anthony McCarten (The Theory of Everything, Darkest Hour) will adapt his own stage play into a script, with Dan Lin producing with Jonathan Eirich, and Tracey Seaward. Filming is expected to begin in Argentina this November.
Pryce, who recently played religious figure The High Sparrow on Game of Thrones, will next be seen playing Charles Dickens’ father in The Man Who Invented Christmas. Pryce also just reteamed with frequent collaborator Terry Gilliam as Cervantes’ great literary icon in The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.
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