The Two Popes release date, cast, trailer and plot – all you need to know

The Two Popes is a new film nearing its release on Netflix. The film follows the time of Pope Benedict XVI and conversations with the future Pope Francis. Based on 2017 stage play The Pope, the movie will consider religious themes in a new way.

When is The Two Popes released?

The Two Popes will be released on Netflix on December 20, which is the same date as the film is released across the world.

The film will get a limited cinematic release in the USA on November 27 and has been released across London for the London Film Festival.

However, at present no cinematic release is expected in the UK except for the film festival.

Who is in the cast of The Two Popes?

As the film name suggests, the movie has a very small cast, with most of the film just featuring two popes.

Jonathan Pryce plays Pope Francis and Anthony Hopkins plays Pope Benedict.

Fans would be forgiven for believing the film is a documentary, as both of the actors very closely resemble the popes they are depicting.

Along with them, Juan Minujín plays the young Jorge Mario Bergoglio, AKA Pope Francis.

Sidney Cole plays Cardinal Peter Turkson and Lisandro Fiks plays persecuted priest Father Franz Jalics.

There are many others in the cast, including an entire Vatican’s worth of cardinals, all of whom were involved in the voting to choose their new popes.

Is there a trailer for The Two Popes?

There is a trailer in which Pope Benedict plays the piano and seems confused by the music of the Beatles.

Audiences can also see the differences between the two popes, with one seeming to be far more in the world, open and friendly.

The other seems far more stuck in his ways, focused on rules, and therefore a little bit detached from the world around him.

What is the plot of The Two Popes?

The Two Popes follows the election of Pope Benedict (Anthony Hopkins) and the following years where he meets with the then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, who is desperate to retire.

However, it seems Pope Benedict has other ideas, and the pair end up spending two days discussing all manner of things – from theology to music, from the papacy to the World Cup.

The Two Popes is released on Netflix on December 20