Fernando Meirelles is ready to take you to (Catholic) church…
The 61-year-old Brazilian filmmaker is set to direct Netflix’s feature film The Pope, starring Jonathan Pryce as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis.
Anthony Hopkins is in talks to play his predecessor Pope Benedict.
Meirelles, best known for helming City of God, will direct the film from a script
by Anthony McCarten, who wrote The Theory of Everything about Stephen Hawking. McCarten adapted his stage play.
The film tells the story of Pope Benedict’s election, and his subsequent resignation from the papacy. That opened the door for Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the Argentinian Cardinal who became the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas and the first Pope from outside Europe since the 8th Century.
The drama conveys his reluctance to take the top post in 2013. His humility and devotion to the poor has made him a galvanizing force for tolerance and change.
Filming will begin November in Argentina.
