What is The Two Popes all about? Everything to know about the biographical drama

Since Pope Francis's death on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, films like The Two Popes have gained attention. It portrays a part of his life before he became pope. Released in 2019, Jonathan Pryce stars as Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio in the movie, the name he was known by before succeeding Pope Benedict XVI (played by Anthony Hopkins) to become Pope Francis.

This "based on real life" movie is directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Fernando Meirelles and provides a glimpse behind the Vatican walls during a turbulent time in the papacy. Pope Benedict was considering retirement as the head of the Catholic Church, creating a virtually unprecedented situation with one pope (Francis) and a pope emeritus (Benedict) in the Vatican.

This critically acclaimed film boasts an impressive 88% score on Rotten Tomatoes from both critics and audiences. It was also nominated for three Oscars: one for Pryce's leading role, another for Hopkins's supporting role, and Best Adapted Screenplay for Anthony McCarten, writer of The Theory of Everything.

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The Two Popes plot explored

The Academy Award-nominated drama The Two Popes explores the aftermath of the 2012 Vatican leaks scandal. The Catholic Church was in the midst of a scandal after documents were leaked alleging a broader conspiracy and corruption in addition to allegations that it was masking child s*x abuse.

At the time, Pope Benedict XVI found himself amidst chaos, tainting his reign with controversy. What followed was a virtually unprecedented decision—he resigned from office, vacating a position that was traditionally held until death. With this choice, Pope Benedict met with Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, his successor and the future Pope Francis.

The movie examines the relationship between the two popes—the new pope and the pope emeritus—as they discover common ground during one of the most dramatic transitions of power in the history of the Roman Catholic Church.

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Cast and characters in the movie

The Penguin Lessons actor Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins star in the movie as the titular two popes, Pope Francis and Pope Benedict, respectively. Argentinian actor Juan Minujin also joined the cast as the younger version of Pope Francis when he was still Jorge Bergoglio.

Below are the rest of the cast and the characters they portray in the movie:

• Luis Gnecco as Cardinal Hummes
• Cristina Benegas as Lisabetta
• María Ucedo as Esther Ballestrino
• Renato Scarpa as the Camerlengo
• Sidney Cole as Cardinal Turkson
• Achille Brugnini as Cardinal Martini
• Federico Torre as Protodeacon Estevez
• Germán De Silva as Father Yorio
• Lisandro Fiks as Father Jalics
• Libero De Rienzo as Robewrto
• Willie Jonah as Cardina Arinze
• Sofia Cessak as Amalia Damonte
• Vincent Riotta as the driver
• Daphne Mereu as a Gandolfo Nun
• Martina Sammarco as another Gandolfo Nun
• Thomas D Williams as an American Journalist
• Juan Miguel Arias as Paolo Gabriele

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Where to watch The Two Popes

The Two Popes can be streamed exclusively on Netflix for those with a subscription. Anyone who is subscribed to the streaming platform will be able to watch the movie at any time.

For those who don't have a Netflix subscription yet, standard plans with ads start at $7.99 per month, while ad-free streaming costs $17.99 each month, both allowing two concurrent streams. An ad-free premium plan, which supports 4K Ultra HD streaming and up to four concurrent streams, is also available for $24.99 a month.

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Stay tuned for more news and updates on your favorite TV shows and movies as the year progresses.