John Malkovich to Star Opposite Jude Law in THE NEW POPE

According to Variety, John Malkovich has signed on to star opposite Jude Law in "The New Pope," the follow up to Paolo Sorrentino's The Young Pope.

It was previously said that the series, an original production of HBO and Italy's Sky, will not be a second season of "The Young Pope." Rather, HBO and Sky described it as Sorrentino's second limited series set in the world of the modern papacy.

Law starred in "The Young Pope" as Lenny Belardo, who took the name Pius XIII as he became the first American pope in history. Whether or not Law will reprise that role, given the uncertainty of the character's future at the end of the first series, is unknown. It is rumored that Malkovich will play the new pontiff, though no official description of either actor's character has been released.

Malkovich is known for his roles in Places in the Heart and In the Line of Fire, for which he received Academy Award nominations. He appeared in such films as EMPIRE of the Sun, THE KILLING Fields, Con Air, The Sheltering Sky, Of Mice and Men, Rounders, Ripley's Game, Knockaround Guys, Being John Malkovich, Shadow of the Vampire, Burn After Reading, Red, Red 2, Mulholland Falls, Dangerous Liaisons, and Warm Bodies, as well as producing films such as Ghost World, Juno, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Malkovich directed a Steppenwolf co-production, the 1984 revival of Lanford Wilson's Balm in Gilead, for which he received an Obie Award and a Drama Desk Award. His Broadway debut that year was as Biff in Death of a Salesman alongside Dustin Hoffman as Willy. Malkovich won an Emmy Award for this role when the play was adapted for television by CBS in 1985.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride