Overseen by Gary Davey, the current Managing Director of Sky UK, Sky Studios will build on the broadcaster’s recent run of successful drama series including Chernobyl and the RTS award-winning Save Me.
The new Europe-wide development and production capability has received backing from Sky’s new owners, Comcast, and will create new productions for outlets including Sky channels, NBC Broadcast and Cable, and Universal Pictures.
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.
Gary Davey is one of pay-TV’s most experienced executives. He was part of the team that launched Sky TV in the late 1980s. Now, after holding senior positions in Sky Italia, Sky Deutschland and Star TV (when he was based in Hong Kong), he is back in the UK. He was appointed Sky’s Managing Director for Content in January 2015.
