Jonathan Pryce to Play Pope Francis in Netflix Movie

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Anthony Hopkins will play Francis' predecessor Pope Benedict.

From Westeros to Vatican City, Game of Thrones actor Jonathan Pryce will play Pope Francis in Netflix's The Pope. Joining Pryce will be Anthony Hopkins, who will play Francis' predecessor Pope Benedict.

Fernando Meirelles (The Constant Gardener) will direct the feature, which is based on a stage play by Theory of Everything scribe Anthony McCarten. He will also adapt the play for the screen.

The Pope follows the the election and resignation of Pope Benedict and the eventual election of Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio — later Pope Francis — becoming the first Jesuit to enter the papacy and the first non-European Pope in some 13 centuries.

Dan Lin is producing through his Lin Pictures banner, along with Jonathan Eirich and Tracey Seaward. Production will begin November in Argentina.

Pryce will next be seen in Bleecker Street's The Man Who Invented Christmas and stars in Terry Gilliam's long-delayed The Man Who Killed Don Quixote as Don Quixote. He is repped by UTA and in the U.K. by Julian Belfrage.

Hopkins starred in the first season of HBO's Western sci-fi thriller Westworld. He is set to reprise his role as Odin in Marvel's upcoming Thor movie. He is repped by ICM.

Source