10 Times Hollywood Gave The Pope A Starring Role

Hollywood loves a man in a fancy hat.

Something about those white robes and ancient rituals keeps drawing filmmakers back to papal stories again and again. Maybe it’s the built-in drama of spiritual authority, or just the visual appeal of Vatican splendor. Whatever the reason, these ten films and shows gave us wildly different takes on the papacy, from faithful historical accounts to complete supernatural fantasy. Let’s look at how Hollywood reimagined the guys who sit in St. Peter’s chair.

Karol: A Man Who Became Pope (2005)

Before he was Pope John Paul II, he was just a Polish guy trying to survive both Nazis and Communists. Piotr Adamczyk plays Karol Wojtyła with surprising grit in this biographical drama that doesn’t sugar-coat the brutal historical backdrop. You actually feel the emotional weight when young Karol works in that quarry under Nazi occupation. Rather than painting him as a saint-to-be, the film shows a stubborn, thoughtful man whose faith was tested by history’s worst moments. His underground theater work during the occupation feels particularly relevant to understanding his later papal politics.

Angels & Demons (2009)

Tom Hanks runs around Rome saving kidnapped cardinals while a papal conclave tries to elect the next pope. Ron Howard turned this Dan Brown adaptation into a breathless race against time, complete with ancient symbols and antimatter bombs threatening to blow up the Vatican. The real Church told them to get lost, so they built incredible Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Square replicas instead. Historical accuracy? Not even close. Fun Catholic-flavored popcorn entertainment? Absolutely. Ewan McGregor’s absurd parachute sequence over Rome while dressed as a priest remains hilariously over-the-top.

We Have a Pope (2011)

What if the new pope took one look at the job and thought, “No thanks”? This gentle Italian comedy has Michel Piccoli as Cardinal Melville, who has a panic attack before his balcony introduction and escapes to Rome. Nobody makes movies like this in America – quiet little character studies about duty and inadequacy. Poor Melville just wants to see some theater and walk around anonymously while the Vatican freaks out trying to find him. No bad guys, no conspiracies, just fragile humans cracking under sacred expectations. That volleyball tournament between anxious cardinals might be the weirdest and most endearing papal scene ever filmed.

The Borgias (2011–2013)

Jeremy Irons wearing ridiculous hats while murdering political rivals pretty much sums up this Showtime series about history’s most notorious papal family. Renaissance corruption never looked so good as Rodrigo Borgia bribes and threatens his way to becoming Pope Alexander VI. The show wallows in the family’s scandalous behavior – his children kill enemies, seduce nobility, and generally make Church doctrine look like helpful suggestions rather than divine law. Historically questionable but addictively watchable. Irons somehow makes you understand how someone could believe they’re God’s representative while simultaneously poisoning rivals and fathering children all over Rome.

The Young Pope (2016)

Nobody expected surrealist papal drama featuring Jude Law as a chain-smoking American orphan who becomes history’s most tyrannical pope while nursing an unhealthy Cherry Coke Zero addiction. Law’s Pius XIII stalks Vatican gardens like a predator, terrorizes cardinals, and possibly performs miracles between existential crises. Paolo Sorrentino’s camera transforms Catholic imagery into dreamlike sequences that blur reality and divine intervention. Kangaroos hop through formal gardens while Law delivers chilling monologues about God’s absence. Religious television doesn’t typically include discussions about masturbation habits with the Vatican Secretary of State, but here we are.

The New Pope (2020)

After Jude Law’s pope falls into a coma, John Malkovich takes over as aristocratic John Paul III with his collection of expensive watches and crippling anxiety. Visually outrageous sequences include nuns dancing in see-through nightwear under neon crosses and Sharon Stone attempting to seduce a comatose pontiff. Marilyn Manson randomly appears as himself while cardinals discuss theology in baroque chambers. Any rules about respectful religious portrayal get thoroughly smashed as Sorrentino creates fever-dream Catholicism for premium cable. Blasphemous? Probably. Boring? Never.

Warrior Nun (2020–2022)

Netflix turned comic books into bizarro mythology where demon-fighting sisters protect a largely clueless Church hierarchy. The pope occasionally pops in to check in, while young women with supernatural powers battle hellish forces. Abandoned by Netflix despite passionate fans, this series reimagined Catholic traditions through action-fantasy lenses. Shotgun-toting nuns and angelic technology made religious warfare surprisingly entertaining. Alba Baptista brought emotional depth to Ava, a formerly dead teenager suddenly thrust into spiritual warfare. The show balanced irreverent butt-kicking with genuine questions about institutional faith.

The Two Popes (2019)

Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce turned theological debates into compulsively watchable drama through invented conversations between traditionalist Benedict XVI and reformist Francis. Their garden walks and pizza-sharing moments humanize figures normally seen only through formal pronouncements. Benedict plays piano and watches cop shows while confessing failures regarding Church abuse scandals. Francis orders takeout and checks soccer scores while describing his liberation theology roots. Deep theological disagreements become deeply personal, showing how doctrine affects human lives. Watching these aging men discover unexpected friendship across ideological divides feels strangely hopeful amid Church divisions.

The Pope’s Exorcist (2023)

Russell Crowe sporting a wild mustache as real-life Vatican exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth offers schlocky fun in this possession thriller. Think Catholic Detective meets supernatural evil while corrupt Church officials hide uncomfortable truths. Demonic voices and levitating victims might seem cheesy, but the film sneaks in interesting questions about institutional secrecy. Exorcism scenes provide horror thrills while Church corruption provides the narrative backbone. Amorth rides his motorcycle through Roman streets between battles with possessed victims, creating a memorable contrast between ancient ritual and modern Rome.

Conclave (2024)

Robert Harris’s bestseller becomes a tense drama with Ralph Fiennes leading cardinals through papal selection while uncovering explosive secrets. Locked inside the Vatican, theological differences morph into political maneuvering as factions battle for control. The mechanics of conclave procedure create natural tension – secret ballots, smoke signals, and isolation from the outside world. Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow bring gravitas to rival cardinals while viewers learn more about Vatican politics than they expected from thriller entertainment. Watching deeply flawed humans determine supposedly divine succession creates fascinating contradictions that question faith without mocking believers.