Note: Spoilers ahead
The New Pope is ready to get sacrilegious. Following a string of teasers, the official trailer for HBO’s upcoming series is finally here. In it, John Malkovich and Jude Law battle it out for the religious title and neither of them is ready to step down. Watch the trailer below.
As previously reported, The New Pope is a nine-episode series directed by Paolo Sorrentino. It follows in the footsteps of the 2017 series The Young Pope, which saw Lenny Belardo, played by Law, unexpectedly win the Papal conclave. His progressive values turned into harsh extremism and the series ended with Belardo going into a coma. The New Pope picks up with him coming out of that coma — but he’s already been replaced by a new Pope, played by Malkovich, during that lapsed time. Obviously, conflict ensues.
The official trailer goes far deeper than the neon crosses and semi-nude walks we saw in teaser clips. Here, Law wants to retake his title, but Malkovich stands in his way — so, of course, they both stubbornly refuse to concede anything. “There’s two of us,” says Law. “You’re going to have to deal with me.” There’s photoshoots, skiing scenes, seductive women, and, worst of all, doubt. Did we mention celebrities like Marilyn Manson and Sharon Stone will guest star, too? Bless The New Pope for already being delightfully overdramatic.
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According to HBO, the show is even more intense than it looks. Their official description of The New Pope positions it in a world of terrorism, rampant sin, and general religious chaos. It reads:
“Following his sudden heart attack, Pope Pius XIII (Jude Law) lies in a coma while his followers fervently pray for a miraculous recovery. As the threat of terrorism and the potential risks of Pius’s idolatry loom, Secretary of State Cardinal Voiello (Silvio Orlando) is pressured to bring a new pope to power and, with the conclave at a deadlock, makes a hasty move that throws the Church into even greater chaos.”
The New Pope airs on HBO on January 13th. Watch the official trailer below.
