Canal+

The 10-part series, a collaboration between Sky, HBO and French network Canal+, will be broadcast on Sky Atlantic in Italy, Germany, Austria, Great Britain and France from late October. 

Jude Law plays the fictional Lenny Belardo, also known as Pius XIII, the first American Pope in history. 

The series also follows the other leaders of the Catholic Church who have chosen to devote their lives to serving the great mystery of God. The character of Pius XIII will be ruthless and stubborn towards Vatican advisers, but emotionally sensitive deep down.

The tale of two multi-million-euro drama series speaks volumes about the tensions and turmoil shaking the French television industry. One is Versailles, a quintessentially French historical topic, shot in France with a French crew but produced for Canal+ in English. The show, labelled “primetime porn” thanks to its racy portrayal of life at the court of the Sun King, was created by an English writing team and mainly starred British actors barely known in France.