The New Pope Trailer Asks: Is This Our Most Jacked Pope Yet?

On Wednesday, HBO teased out a trailer for The New Pope, not to be confused with The Young Pope, a.k.a. the hot pope played by Jude Law who GQ culture writer Gabriella Paiella once referred to as "a compact little Pret sandwich." The young, hot pope, an American named Lenny who does not fuck, is still prominently featured in The New Pope trailer, though the new pope—who is not quite as young or hot—will be played by John Malkovich.

Some more background, in case you're lost in hallowed halls of the Vatican: The Young Pope debuted as a mini-series in the Year of our Lord 2016. In the finale, [spoiler alert, I guess] Law's character, Lenny, a.k.a. the Holy Father, falls into a coma. You don't want your pope—young, hot, or otherwise—falling into a coma.

The New Pope, still directed by Paolo Sorrentino, is apparently a continuation of The Young Pope. We know this because much of the trailer for part two involves the young, hot pope strolling down the beach in a Speedo while countless women ogle at him. It also introduces Malkovich, who cooly walks around the Vatican in more pope-appropriate attire. Is the young pope cruising around in a Speedo because he's having some not-pope-appropriate (a-pope-riate?) coma dreams? No. Shame on you for even entertaining the possibility, you heathen.

In an interview with Variety, Sorrentino hinted that Law and Malkovich's characters could very well cross paths. He also said Malkovich is "perfect for this part because he’s as mysterious as the Vatican, but has this innate elegance which I immediately tried to capture." Frankly, The Mysterious Pope has a better ring to it than The New Pope.

As for real-life mysterious papal leaders, check out Pope Donus, whose sad-boy eyes will make you repent.

And on the subject of real-life hot popes, here's Gregory VII, whose jawline is pretty impressive given that orthodontic work was not top of the mind in the 11th century.

<h1 class="title">Gregorius VII</h1>

Gregorius VII

If that wasn't enough pope content for you, then go ahead and watch The New Pope trailer below.


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"The Shibuya Crossing is, obviously, sort of famous for that Lost in Translation shot, with hoards of people crossing at intervals— it’s still an incredible spectacle. It’s like watching this big 3,000-person ballet every three minutes. Sadly, the best view of it is from Starbucks on the second floor, directly above it.”

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Originally Appeared on GQ