HBO brings us “The Young Pope”


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HBO Home Entertainment has just announced the upcoming release of Paolo Sorrentino’s ten-episode limited TV series, The Young Pope, scheduling a Blu-Ray Disc and DVD version for early June.

The Young Pope tells the fictional story of Lenny Belardo, a.k.a. Pius XIII, the first-ever American Pope and the youngest elected by the College of Cardinals. At first glance, Lenny’s selection over older and more experienced clerics – in particular Cardinal Spencer, a fellow American and Lenny’s mentor – seems part of a simple media strategy by Vatican elders, who no doubt expect the new Pope to toe the line and follow their lead. Instead, Pius XIII eschews the counsel of the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Voiello, and enlists the woman who raised him, Sister Mary, to be his chief confidante. To the chagrin of Voiello and the PR reps who would market the handsome and charming young Pope, Lenny refuses to allow himself to be photographed, and he announces a series of severe, hardline initiatives that confound the Vatican status quo. The Young Pope paints a portrait of a mysterious, complicated man fully aware of the contradictions and consequences of being the conservative leader of a billion followers in a changing world – but unwilling to bend in the execution of his duties. 

The ensemble cast includes Jude Law (Lenny Belardo), Diane Keaton (Sister Mary), Scott Shepherd (Cardinal Dussolier), James Cromwell (Cardinal Spencer), Ludivine Sagnier (Esther), Silvio Orlando (Cardinal Voiello), Cécile De France (Sofia), Javier Cámara (Monsignor Bernardo Alonso Gutierrez), Toni Bertorelli (Cardinal Caltanissetta), and more.

The release includes all ten episodes of the limited series and three special features including an exclusive new “The Making of The Young Pope” Featurette.

The Young Pope will arrive on June 6 for $59.99 on Blu-Ray Disc and $49.99 on DVD.

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