'The New Pope' Trailer: John Malkovich Takes Charge Of The Church In The Follow-Up To 'The Young Pope'

You can't teach a new pope old tricks, and John Malkovich's John Paul III is certainly more of a stickler for tradition than Jude Law's flashy Pope Pius XIII of Paolo Sorrentino's The Young Pope. But thankfully, in the follow-up season of the HBO series The New Pope, this successor seems to have just as much of an ego.

"Everyone in the world should know who the pope is," John Paul III tells his staff. "It's not vanity; it's necessity." But despite enjoying the fruits of his new role, the new pope does harbor a paranoia that that mischievous young pope may wake from his coma after all. Watch The New Pope trailer.

Never count your eggs before they've hatched, and never count on your predecessor staying in a coma before celebrating being a "volatile" new pope. But that's exactly what John Malkovich's John Paul III does in The New Pope, Sorrentino's new HBO miniseries in his growing papal cinematic universe. The successor to Law's "young pope" Pope Pius XIII, who fell into a coma after collapsing while giving a homily at Basilica San Marco, is already clashing with the Vatican, which calls him "volatile" over his aggressive public promotion of his papacy. But in his confession of his sins, in which he describes himself as "irresponsible," "pompous," and "conceited," it's clear that he could not care less.

The one thing he cares about is keeping his position, which may not last long considering Law's return to the series and that intriguing final shot which shows Pope Pius XIII flashing a smile to the camera after he takes off his oxygen mask. Let the battle of the Popes commence!

The second season, which follows the 10-episode limited series that aired on HBO in 2016, is penned by The Young Pope's Paolo Sorrentino, Umberto Contarello, and Stefano Bises and features Sharon Stone and Marilyn Manson as guest stars, joining the original cast members of Henry Goodman, Ulrich Thomsen, Mark Ivanir, Yuliya Snigir, and Massimo Ghini.

The New Pope made its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival September 1, and will premiere on HBO in January 2020.