‘The Young Pope’ Follows the Rise of Vatican’s First American Pontiff Portrayed by Jude Law; Series Gets U.S. Release Date for HBO Premiere

‘The Young Pope’ follows the rise of Vatican’s first American pontiff Pope Pius XIII portrayed by Jude Law. It also stars Academy Award-winning actress Diane Keaton and Academy Award nominee James Cromwell. The series received its U.S. release date on HBO for January 2017.

According to Fan Sided, the drama television series created and directed by Paolo Sorrentino follows the rise of the first ever American pope in the Vatican. In the trailer, Jude Law’s Pope Pius XIII is seen as power-hungry, unconventional, and even rebellious.

Pius XIII’s (born Lenny Belard) rose to power as the newly elected pope. He was a former archbishop of New York. Diane Keaton’s Sister Mary stands by his side after being appointed as the Pope’s personal secretary.

It seems that American audiences will finally get the chance to catch the series when it premieres on HBO on January 15, 2017. The cable network previously tweeted, "His religion is revolution. #TheYoungPope premieres January 15, 2017."

The series premiered on October 21 on Sky Atlantic in Italy, Austria, and Germany. It was also released in other parts of Europe such as the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, and the Republic of Ireland, according to TV Series Finale.

The synopsis for season 1 posted on UPI reads, "Lenny Belardo is no ordinary pope. He is the youngest and first American pope in history. We find him on the morning of his first day in office, preparing to enter into the power struggles inside the closed, secretive Vatican state." 

On October 20, producer Lorenzo Mieli announced that season 2 has been commissioned and is in development.

‘The Young Pope’ season 2 is expected to premiere on HBO on January 15, 2017. The drama series was created by award-winning Italian film director and screenwriter Paolo Sorrentino, known for his feature films ‘This Must Be The Place,’ ‘The Great Beauty,’ and ‘Youth.’