TV series · Sky · HBO · Canal+ · 2016

The Young Pope

The Sistine Chapel rebuilt at Cinecittà with real gold leaf. The horses of San Marco, sculpted by Creation Art.

Act one

The first TV series
of the Venice Film Festival.

3 September 2016, Sala Grande on the Lido in Venice. The 73rd Venice International Film Festival opens — for the first time in its history — with a TV series in official out-of-competition screening: The Young Pope by Paolo Sorrentino. Jude Law in the role of Pope Pius XIII, Diane Keaton as Sister Mary, Silvio Orlando as Cardinal Voiello. Co-production by Wildside, Haut et Court TV, Mediapro for Sky Atlantic, HBO, Canal+. Budget: 40 million euros.

Principal photography had taken place at Cinecittà between August 2015 and February 2016: seven months of production, ten episodes between 46 and 60 minutes long, distribution in more than 80 countries. The scenographic core was Stage 5 at Cinecittà — forty by eighty metres, the same historic stage of Federico Fellini. There, Sorrentino and his production designer Ludovica Ferrario had rebuilt the Sistine Chapel at 1:1 scale.

The following year, Young Pope would also enter Emmy history: two nominations at the Primetime Creative Arts 2017 — Outstanding Production Design and Outstanding Cinematography (Luca Bigazzi). The first Italian TV series ever nominated. In 2019 it would all come back, with The New Pope — same team, same Stage 5, John Malkovich added to the cast.

Papal altar at the centre of the rebuilt chapel: faux marble, gilded candelabra, gilded chairs in orderly rows, backdrop with fresco of the Transfiguration above the altar, blue cyclorama overhead — The papal altar, waiting to shoot

Detail of the papal altar in polychrome marble: verde antico, Verona red marble, gilded mouldings, geometric inlays and ornamental panels. Above, reproduction of a vault fresco — The altar, in polychrome faux marble

Loggia of the Blessings rebuilt: gilded faux-marble balustrade, turned columns, bas-relief panels beneath, red velvet curtains on the sides, partial view of velvet chairs in the foreground — The loggia, with gilded balustrade

Act two

Four horses
for Venice,
sculpted by us.

"Light is always key."

— Ludovica Ferrario, production designer
Variety interview, June 2017 (on the choice to apply real gold leaf by hand on the Sistine Chapel).

The scenography of Young Pope cannot lie: the camera of Luca Bigazzi — who would earn the 2017 Emmy nomination for cinematography — is too precise. For the Sistine Chapel rebuilt at Stage 5, Ludovica Ferrario insisted on real gold leaf: "light moves with the camera only if the gold is gold." Five weeks of artisans on the Sistine alone, between the eight weeks of design and the ten in the workshop.

Among the many sets rebuilt at Cinecittà is the Loggia dei Cavalli of the Basilica of San Marco in Venice: the terrace with the four bronze horses. The four original equestrian statues have been kept inside the basilica for centuries; the ones outside are already a replica. For the series, Creation Art made a third version — modelled by hand in polystyrene and plaster, covered in fibreglass, patinated to look like bronze. The four equestrian statues were loaded onto a crane, one at a time, and lifted onto the Cinecittà set.

Four faux-bronze equestrian statues, copies of the San Marco horses, lined up side by side in the Creation Art workshop, waiting to be transported to Cinecittà — The four horses, in the workshop

One of the faux-bronze equestrian statues lifted into the air from a telescopic crane basket against a blue sky: the silhouette is that of the San Marco horse, suspended in mid-air above the Cinecittà yard — A horse, in flight above Cinecittà

Three horses already mounted above the arch of the rebuilt Loggia dei Cavalli: green chroma-key backdrop behind, workers on a lift platform completing the installation, white faux-marble structure — The horses on the Loggia, under the green screen

Behind the scenes

Forty by eighty,
under the light of Cinecittà.

The Young Pope sets fill Stage 5 at Cinecittà — forty by eighty metres, over five metres of usable height, the same stage where Fellini built his worlds. Eight weeks of design, ten in the workshop, eight of construction on stage: twenty-six weeks for the scenography alone. The camera arrives in August 2015 and leaves in February 2016.

The faux-bronze horse suspended in the blue Cinecittà sky, lifted by the arm of a telescopic crane, being carried into position on the Loggia dei Cavalli set — A horse of the San Marco Loggia in flight above Cinecittà.

The Sistine in gold leaf

The Sistine Chapel at Stage 5 is the 1:1 scale of the Vatican original. For anyone who knows the real chapel, the difference with this one is just one: here the camera can shoot 360°. The real gold leaf applied by hand was an explicit request from Ferrario to the production, because Bigazzi's light moves differently on precious metal than on any imitation. Five weeks of artisans for the gilding alone.

The San Marco horses

The four bronze horses of San Marco are among the most reproduced equestrian statues in art history: the original (perhaps late-antique, perhaps by Lysippos) is inside the Basilica; the outdoor copy in Venice is from the twentieth century. For Sorrentino we sculpted a third version in our workshops: hand-shaped polystyrene, fibreglass, faux bronze with a torn patina. Four statues two metres tall at the withers, on slender legs that have to support the weight of the body. The internal steel structure was designed specifically.

Capitals, marble, ornaments

Beyond the icon scenes, the apostolic palace of Young Pope is made of hundreds of ornamental pieces rebuilt in the workshop: Corinthian capitals with carved acanthus leaves, gilded balustrades with turned colonnettes, Cosmatesque floors with geometric mosaic, polychrome faux marbles — verde antico, Verona red marble, Siena. It is Sorrentino's pop Vatican translated into film scenography.

€40M production budget · Wildside-HBO-Canal+ co-production

80+ distribution countries · 10 episodes between 46 and 60 minutes

2 2017 Primetime Emmy nominations · first Italian series

Detail of a Corinthian capital in carved faux marble: acanthus leaves, corner volutes, abacus above, perfectly classical but with set-design colouring — **A Corinthian capital.** Acanthus leaves carved by hand, a classical reproduction for the apostolic palace.

Three faux-bronze horses lined up under a tree in the workshop yard, already patinated, ready for transport to Cinecittà — **Three horses in the yard.** Patinated, anchored, ready for transport to Stage 5.

3/4 view of a finished horse on stage with blue chroma key background, white faux-marble balustrade with bas-reliefs beneath, a person nearby at work — **On stage, chroma key.** The horse in position, blue backdrop ready for the Venice post-production.

Overall view of the rebuilt papal chapel: rows of gilded chairs, Cosmatesque geometric mosaic floor, central balustrade, altar with candelabra, reproduction of the Last Judgment above the backdrop, blue cyclorama in the background — The chapel, still empty. Cinecittà, Stage 5, January 2016.

View of the papal chapel set rebuilt at Stage 5 of Cinecittà: Cosmatesque mosaic floor, rows of gilded chairs, sculpted balustrade, reproduction of Michelangelo's Last Judgment on the walls, blue cyclorama in the background. — The chapel, overall view

Papal altar rebuilt at the centre of the chapel: faux marble, candelabra, gilded chairs in curved rows, stone steps, fresco of the Transfiguration above the backdrop. — The altar, from the front row

Loggia of the Blessings: gilded faux-marble balustrade carved with turned columns, panelled bas-reliefs with foliage motifs beneath, gilded chairs in the foreground, red velvet curtains at the sides. — The loggia, with the gilded balustrade

Light is always
the most important thing.

Ludovica Ferrario, production designer Variety · June 2017

Tech sheet

Ten episodes on three networks

The Young Pope by Paolo Sorrentino airs in ten episodes (each between 46 and 60 minutes) on Sky Atlantic (Italy, from 21 October 2016), HBO (USA, from 15 January 2017) and Canal+ (France). World premiere out of competition at the 73rd Venice Film Festival, 3 September 2016 — the first TV series projected in the Sala Grande in the history of the Festival. International distribution in more than 80 countries.

Forty million budget

Production budget of 40 million euros, financed through the co-production between Wildside (Italy), Haut et Court TV (France), Mediapro Studios (Spain), with the contribution of the European Regional Development Fund. It was one of the largest budgets ever invested in an original European series of the mid-2010s. Principal production lasted seven months: from August 2015 to February 2016, based at Stage 5 of Cinecittà.

Two Emmy nominations

At the 2017 Primetime Creative Arts Emmys Young Pope received two nominations: Outstanding Production Design for Ludovica Ferrario, Alexandro Maria Santucci and Laura Casalini; and Outstanding Cinematography for Luca Bigazzi. It is the first Italian TV series nominated at the Emmys. It would not win, but the international recognition paved the way for the second season The New Pope (2019-2020), same scenographic team, same Stage 5, with John Malkovich in the role of the new pope.

Eighty countries worldwide

The Young Pope was sold to more than 80 countries: United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, Japan, South Korea, India, Russia. It is the first sign that Italian international co-productions can step outside their own language market and speak to the global streaming audience. For Italian scenography too: the Cinecittà Sistine became an aesthetic reference for Vatican sets all the way into the following decade.

All production data

Type: TV series · drama / political-religious satire · 10 episodes
Direction & concept: Paolo Sorrentino
Production designer: Ludovica Ferrario · art director: Alexandro Maria Santucci · set decorator: Laura Casalini
Director of photography: Luca Bigazzi (2017 Emmy nomination)
Main cast: Jude Law (Pope Pius XIII / Lenny Belardo) · Diane Keaton (Sister Mary) · Silvio Orlando (Cardinal Voiello) · Cécile de France (Sofia) · Javier Cámara · Scott Shepherd · Toni Bertorelli · James Cromwell
Co-production: Wildside (IT) · Haut et Court TV (FR) · Mediapro Studios (ES) · in association with Sky Atlantic, HBO, Canal+
World premiere: 3 September 2016 · 73rd Venice Film Festival · first TV series in the Sala Grande in the history of the Festival
Sky Atlantic debut: 21 October 2016 (Italy)
HBO debut: 15 January 2017 (USA)
Budget: 40 million euros
Shooting period: August 2015 — February 2016 · 7 months
Main location: Stage 5 of Cinecittà (40 × 80 m, Fellini's historic stage) · exteriors at Villa Medici, Villa Doria Pamphili, Villa Lante, Piazza San Marco (Venice, final ep.)
Awards: 2 nominations at the 2017 Primetime Creative Arts Emmys (Outstanding Production Design + Outstanding Cinematography) — first Italian TV series ever nominated at the Emmys
Our role: Scenographic work at Stage 5 of Cinecittà — including the four bronze horses of the Loggia dei Cavalli of San Marco reproduced in faux bronze (polystyrene + fibreglass on a steel structure, tear-finish patina), and contributions to the 1:1 reconstruction of the Sistine Chapel and the other Vatican interiors. The photos from our archive document the work on the horses in the workshop (with one horse lifted by crane) and on the set ornaments.
Sequel: The New Pope (2019-2020, 9 episodes) · same scenographic team, same Stage 5, John Malkovich in the cast
On the real gold leaf: For the Sistine Chapel, Ludovica Ferrario obtained from the production the use of real gold leaf applied by hand — five weeks of artisans for the gilding alone — because Bigazzi's light moved on the precious metal differently than on any imitation.
Second life: Sistine Chapel set kept at Cinecittà for the following season The New Pope (2019-2020) · some sculptures and ornaments retained as an archive of Vatican scenography for other projects

Second life

From the Sistine Chapel
to The New Pope.

Paolo Sorrentino's The Young Pope came out in 2016 and became one of the most internationally recognisable Italian products — Sky · HBO · Canal+, with Jude Law in the role of the first American pope. Three years later, in 2019-2020, Sorrentino shot The New Pope with the same scenographic team (Ludovica Ferrario), in the same Stage 5 at Cinecittà where we had worked for the first season. John Malkovich joined the cast.

The Sistine Chapel set with the real gold leaf — five weeks of artisans for the gilding alone — stayed on stage for both seasons. The light on the precious metal of DoP Luca Bigazzi is one of the most memorable visual signatures of the two series.

For us The Young Pope remains one of the densest commissions: contributions to the reconstruction of the Sistine Chapel, sculpting of the horses and Vatican ornaments, three fully sculpted horses (one of which lifted by crane in the workshop for the polychrome finishing). The tradition of the Roman school of Cinecittà applied to international prestige TV.