There may be a “New Pope” in (Vatican) town, but Jude Law is still feeling — and looking — fine.
HBO released a teaser trailer for the eight-episode follow-up series to 2016’s “The Young Pope.”
The teaser shows Law’s Pope Pius XIII (aka Lenny) strolling along the beach in a blinding white Speedo as women gaze in adoration, while John Malkovich’s new pope grimly walks through the Vatican with various attendants.
Contrary to the sunny outlook for Lenny, he’s actually in a seemingly permanent coma. That’s why Malkovich has been appointed as pontiff.
But as creator Paolo Sorrentino teased to Variety, “Jude Law’s coma may not be so irreversible. It may have some unexpected novelties, so that two popes can co-exist in the episodes that follow.”
He added, “This creates a disruption. For one billion Catholics, this reawakening can be thought of as a resurrection which within the fictional story that we are telling can lead to new and unpredictable consequences.”
“The New Pope” will screen two episodes at the Venice Film Festival. It does not yet have a premiere date on HBO.
HBO just released images of Marilyn Manson and Sharon Stone in “The New Pope.”
No idea yet what characters they’ll be playing in the follow-up to “The Young Pope,” but it’s a good guess Manson — who looks pretty much like he always does — isn’t playing a man of the cloth.
Stone’s look, meanwhile, reminds us of Jessica Lange in “American Horror Story.”
This is the first time either will work with the series’ creator, Paolo Sorrentino.
The series debuted on HBO in January 2017, earning Law a Golden Globe nomination. No air date has been announced for “The New Pope.”
Manson’s previous acting credits include roles on “Salem” and “Sons of Anarchy.”
Stone most recently starred in the Amazon series “Mosaic.” She’ll also appear in the Netflix series “Ratched,” the “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” prequel starring Sarah Paulson.
From “The Young Pope” to “The New Pope,” HBO just keeps blessing us with riches.
Jude Law starred in Paolo Sorrentino’s rich and ambitious “The Young Pope.” He will be back for the follow-up “The New Pope,” and HBO just revealed that he’ll be joined by John Malkovich.
Welcome to the papacy.
John Malkovich will join Jude Law in director Paolo Sorrentino's limited series The New Pope, coming soon to HBO. pic.twitter.com/4jX5Gc9hzb
According to Deadline, production will begin in Italy in November.
Here’s Variety‘s report from when this new series was announced in May 2017:
“HBO and Sky have teamed up on ‘The New Pope,’ a new limited series to be directed by Sorrentino that will not be a second season of ‘The Young Pope.’ The show will be ‘set in the world of the modern papacy,’ but HBO and Sky declined to release further details of the story.”
So it’s a new series, but Deadline said it’s “still expected to retain some elements of ‘Young Pope.’” That series left the fate of Jude Law’s American pontiff Lenny Belardo unclear. But he’s meant to return for “The New Pope,” in some fashion or another. It’s not clear yet if Malkovich would definitely play the new pope or not. He should!
Holy crap, y’all, the Internet is having way too much fun with “The Young Pope.” The HBO series, starring Jude Law, premiered Sunday, Jan. 15 on HBO. No clue if it will be a hit with viewers, but it has already graced Twitter with some hilarious memes. If the show itself is half as creative as the fans already mocking it, we will be truly blessed.
It’s a bit surprising no one went for an Olivia Pope from “Scandal” angle, but there’s still time.
During Saturday’s TCAs press tour, Jude Law was asked if he had heard about the tweets, and it turns out this is his education on the very concept of a meme:
“Having spent the last week in New York and doing lots of press I’ve become very aware. But until this week I’ve been completely unaware of what a meme was.” He added, “I hope [the memes] will prompt interest and intrigue. I don’t know if meme trends are reflective of young people’s interest but if so I hope [young viewers see the show].”
At a loss for what to watch this week? From new TV, we’ve got you covered.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
“Deepwater Horizon”
After “Lone Survivor,” but before “Patriot’s Day,” Mark Wahlberg and director Peter Berg teamed up for this powerful, critically acclaimed drama inspired by the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster of 2010. The movie arrives on Blu-ray, DVD, and On Demand Tuesday, January 10. The Blu-ray has more than two hours of special features including an hour-long five-part series “Beyond the Horizon,” in which Mark Wahlberg and the cast meet the real-life heroes and discuss their experiences from Deepwater Horizon; plus three all-new making-of featurettes; and tributes to America’s blue-collar workers in “Work Like an American.” Check out this behind-the-scenes clip featuring Kurt Russell and Peter Berg talking about working with Mark Wahlberg:“The Accountant”
Ben Affleck plays a math savant who works as a freelance accountant for some of the world’s most dangerous criminals. The action thriller, co-starring J.K. Simmons and Anna Kendrick, arrives on Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD on January 10. The DVD includes “Inside the Man,” and the Blu-ray has that featurette, plus “Behavioral Science” and “The Accountant in Action.”
“Lost & Found”
This award-winning family film — co-starring Cary Elwes and Jason Patric — debuts on DVD and Digital HD January 10, following two teenage boys on a quest to discover where their grandfather hid his fortune. After uncovering clues he left behind, the brothers embark on a treasure hunt under the nose of a greedy developer who is out to steal the money for himself. “Lost & Found” comes with eight deleted scenes that feature “lost” footage of the film’s characters, plus “The Making of Lost and Found.” Check out this exclusive clip with actor Cary Elwes and writer, director, producer Joseph Itaya discussing why Elwes was the “perfect guy” to play the film’s antagonist, John Broman: “The Birth of a Nation”
Slave preacher Nat Turner (played by director Nate Parker) orchestrates an uprising in the antebellum Southin this historical drama out on Blu-ray and DVD January 10. Special features include the documentary “Rise Up: The Legacy of Nat Turner,” feature commentary by Nate Parker; deleted scenes, “The Birth of a Nation: The Making of a Movement,” the short film “#AmeriCAN,” “Free God” Spoken Word,” and “Celebration of Independent Voices – Nate Parker.”
“A Series of Unfortunate Events” Season 1 (Netflix Original)The beleaguered Baudelaire orphans are back in Netflix’s adaptation of the bestselling book series. Jim Carrey played Count Olaf in the 2004 film, but now Neil Patrick Harris is the scenery-chewing evil guardian who’ll stop at nothing to get the three orphans’s inheritance. The eight-episode first season — co-starring Patrick Warburton, Joan Cusack, Catherine O’Hara, and Alfre Woodard; with Malina Weissman, Louis Hynes, and Presley Smith as Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire — arrives Friday, January 13.
Check out the “unfortunate” trailer:“Clinical” (Netflix Original)
“A psychiatrist is plagued by flashbacks to a terrifying attack as she treats a new patient who was horribly disfigured in an accident” in this Netflix original movie starring Vinessa Shaw, Aaron Stanford, Kevin Rahm, and William Atherton. Watch it January 13.
“Camp X-Ray”
Kristen Stewart plays a guard at Guantanamo Bay who forms an unlikely friendship with one of the facility’s longtime detainees in this 2014 drama available on Netflix January 14.
“Alice Through the Looking Glass”
Alice (Mia Wasikowska) finds herself back in Underland, trying to help the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), in Disney’s 2016 sequel to the 2010 film “Alice in Wonderland.” It’s available on Netflix January 11.
New Video on Demand, Rental Streaming, and Digital
“Sneaky Pete” (Amazon)Amazon’s new crime series follows a con man (Giovanni Ribisi), who gets out of prison and finds himself hunted by the gangster he once robbed. He hides from his past by assuming the identity of his cellmate, Pete, “reuniting” with Pete’s estranged family. Bryan Cranston, Marin Ireland, Margo Martindale, and Malcolm-Jamal Warner co-star in the drama, which arrives on Amazon January 13.
“Pinocchio”
Disney’s classic animated film arrives for the first time on Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere on January 10, and then on Blu-ray and DVD on Jan. 31, including hours of new and classic bonus features.
“Queen of Katwe”
Disney’s critically acclaimed drama is based on the true story of a young girl from the streets of Uganda who becomes a champion chess player. The inspirational film — starring Madina Nalwanga, David Oyelowo, and Lupita Nyong’o — arrives on Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere on January 10, then Blu-ray, DVD, and On Demand Jan. 31. The Blu-ray and digital releases include several bonus features, including deleted scenes; audio commentary; the behind-the-scenes featurette “Queen Of Katwe: Their Story”; director Mira Nair’s short film “A Fork, A Spoon & A Knight,” about a boy who grows up to transform a Ugandan city into a globally renowned chess sanctuary; a look at the recording of Alicia Keys’s song “Back To Life”; and more.
TV Worth Watching
“The Young Pope” Season 1 (Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m.)Jude Law plays controversial (and — gasp! — American) Pope Pius XIII in Paolo Sorrentino’s 10-episode limited series. Law’s Pope Pius, born Lenny Belardo, is the newly elected pontiff and former Archbishop of New York. Diane Keaton plays the American nun who raised the younger Belardo in an orphanage and is appointed his new personal secretary. James Cromwell and Scott Shepherd co-star in the series, which has already been given a second season.
“Colony” Season 2 (Thursday on USA Network at 10 p.m.)
USA’s vastly underappreciated sci-fi drama returns January 12, set in a dystopian near-future Los Angeles which has been colonized by extraterrestrial invaders and now run by a militarized regime of collaborating humans. Josh Holloway and Sarah Wayne Callies star as the married-with-children Bowmans, who take very different approaches to surviving the occupation. It is definitely worth your time to binge the first 10 episodes before diving in to see what happens in Season 2.
“Victoria” Season 1 (Sunday on PBS at 9 p.m.)Netflix put “The Crown” on Queen Elizabeth II, but PBS has the epic saga of Queen Victoria. Jenna Coleman and Rufus Sewell star in the ITV series, which is heading across the pond with a two-hour premiere on January 15. Here’s the first episode synopsis: “The story of Queen Victoria, who ascended to the throne at age 18 in 1837, begins with the young Victoria struggling to assert control amidst plots to manipulate her. Her friendship with the prime minister, meanwhile, leads to a crisis in Parliament.” ITV premiered this back in August in the U.K., and it has already been renewed for a second season, followed by a Christmas special, both to air in 2017. So PBS will probably get them around this time in 2018.
“Homeland” Season 6 (Sunday on Showtime at 9 p.m.)
Carrie — and, somehow — Quinn are back in Season 6, which is set in New York and follows its own presidential election. (Elizabeth Marvel of “House of Cards” finally managed to get elected POTUS on “Homeland.”) The January 15 premiere, “Fair Game,” has this synopsis from Showtime: “Carrie returns home to the US with Franny to work as an advocate for Muslim Americans. Dar and Saul brief President-elect Keane. Quinn struggles with his new circumstances.”
“Taboo” Season 1 (Tuesday on FX at 10 p.m.)
Tom Hardy co-created and stars in this gritty, eight-episode FX drama set in 1814 London. Here’s part of The Hollywood Reporter‘s review, “Through its first three episodes, it definitely has enough intrigue for the long haul — thanks in large part to Hardy — but the show isn’t particularly action-oriented and is, in fact, overtly unsexy, save for Hardy’s tattoo-laced body seen in various states of undress.” Collider also checked out the first three episodes and wrote, “[U]nlike ‘Bastard Executioner,’ ‘Taboo’ feels like a polished BBC production (the BBC co-produced it, naturally), one with a clear sense of itself and its purpose, with a pace that may be a little slow to start for some, but where an investment seems wise.”
Diane Keaton has found Jesus — in HBO’s upcoming “The Young Pope.”
The cable network announced that the Oscar-winning actress is joining the cast of the drama as Sister Mary, an American nun living in the Vatican City. She’ll star opposite Jude Law, who plays Pius XIII, born Lenny Belardo, who is the first American to be elected pope and who becomes the most conservative leader the Catholic Church has ever seen.
Sister Mary raised Lenny, helped him get elected, and continues to have power over him. Pius XIII is also described as “a man of great power who’s stubbornly resistant to the Vatican courtiers, unconcerned with the implications for his authority.”
This marks Keaton’s first-ever series regular television role. Creator and Oscar winner Paolo Sorrentino (“Great Beauty”) will direct all eight episodes of “The Young Pope,” which begins filming soon.
HBO
Holy crap, y’all, the Internet is having way too much fun with “The Young Pope.” The HBO series, starring 
At a loss for what to watch this week? From new TV, we’ve got you covered.
The beleaguered Baudelaire orphans are back in Netflix’s adaptation of the bestselling book series. Jim Carrey played Count Olaf in the 2004 film, but now Neil Patrick Harris is the scenery-chewing evil guardian who’ll stop at nothing to get the three orphans’s inheritance. The eight-episode first season — co-starring Patrick Warburton, Joan Cusack, Catherine O’Hara, and Alfre Woodard; with Malina Weissman, Louis Hynes, and Presley Smith as Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire — arrives Friday, January 13.
Amazon’s new crime series follows a con man (Giovanni Ribisi), who gets out of prison and finds himself hunted by the gangster he once robbed. He hides from his past by assuming the identity of his cellmate, Pete, “reuniting” with Pete’s estranged family. Bryan Cranston, Marin Ireland, Margo Martindale, and Malcolm-Jamal Warner co-star in the drama, which arrives on Amazon January 13.
Jude Law plays controversial (and — gasp! — American) Pope Pius XIII in Paolo Sorrentino’s 10-episode limited series. Law’s Pope Pius, born Lenny Belardo, is the newly elected pontiff and former Archbishop of New York. Diane Keaton plays the American nun who raised the younger Belardo in an orphanage and is appointed his new personal secretary. James Cromwell and Scott Shepherd co-star in the series, which has already been given a second season.
Netflix put “The Crown” on Queen Elizabeth II, but PBS has the epic saga of Queen Victoria. Jenna Coleman and Rufus Sewell star in the ITV series, which is heading across the pond with a two-hour premiere on January 15. Here’s the first episode synopsis: “The story of Queen Victoria, who ascended to the throne at age 18 in 1837, begins with the young Victoria struggling to assert control amidst plots to manipulate her. Her friendship with the prime minister, meanwhile, leads to a crisis in Parliament.” ITV premiered this back in August in the U.K., and it has already been renewed for a second season, followed by a Christmas special, both to air in 2017. So PBS will probably get them around this time in 2018.