Go Behind the Scenes of The Young Pope

By Reuben Levine | Dec 20, 2016

HBO has invited us, finally, to take behind the scenes of The Young Pope, the new series coming in January.

We’re not far off from January, and that means we’re getting closer to the premiere of The Young Pope. The new series, which is only partially produced by HBO, tracks the rise of the first American Pope. Europe has already gotten their hands on the series; North America is near the bottom of the list here. HBO recently posted a new behind the scenes clip as part of their Invitation to the Set series.

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The clip includes short interviews with Jude Law, who plays the Pope in question, as well as famed director Paolo Sorrentino. Make sure to pay attention to the beginning to catch a glimpse of Pope Pius XIII in posh Pope attire with sunglasses. This particular Pope is set to be strictly conservative, in case that wasn’t clear from the trailers that we’ve seen so far.

It’s interesting to just now be seeing this type of promotional material, considering that the first season has actually already finished airing in other territories. Yes, behind the scenes material is technically old by the time it reaches viewers, but that goes doubly for this. The Young Pope made such a splash abroad that a second season will be moving into production.

It’s likely that The Young Pope is going to turn off some viewers, and not just because of its religious content. There is something gaudy and campy about what we’ve seen so far, making it difficult to take seriously. For other viewers, that’s going to be a major draw. It will also be a nice little test of Jude Law’s screen power for HBO.

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The Young Pope premieres on January 17th, and will join an excellent winter lineup that includes Big Little Lies and the final season of Girls.