Sky and HBO announce a joint production of The New Pope with Paolo Sorrentino

Sky and HBO have today announced a joint production of The New Pope, a new series created and directed by Academy Award Winner Paolo Sorrentino, creator of the critically acclaimed The Young Pope. The new series will go into production late next year in Italy. The screenplay is being written by Paolo Sorrentino and Umberto Contarello and marks Sorrentino's second limited series set in the world of the modern Papacy. The New Pope will be produced by Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani for Wildside, in co-production with Mediapro. The international distributor is FremantleMedia International.

Casting for the role of the new Pope, as well as additional roles, will soon be underway. More information will be provided when available.

About Sky

Sky is Europe's leading entertainment company, serving 22 million customers across five countries - UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria and Italy. The company has annual revenues of �12 billion and is Europe's leading investor in television content with annual programming spend of over �5 billion. From exclusive partnerships with HBO and Showtime, to Sky's own original programming, Sky offers the best and broadest range of content along with the best viewing experience to suit each and every customer. Whether that's through the multi-award winning next generation box, Sky Q, or Sky's contract-free online streaming service, NOW TV, customers have access to the latest movies, drama, sports and kids entertainment wherever and whenever they like. This is all supported by Sky's best in class customer service. Sky's success is not just based on what the company does but how it does it. Named as one of the Top 10 Green Companies in the World by Newsweek, one of the world's most recognised rankings of business's environmental performance, Sky ensures its responsible business strategy is embedded right across the group. Sky has over 30,000 employees and is listed as one of The Times Top 50 employers for women. Sky is listed on the London Stock Exchange (SKY).

About HBO

Home Box Office, Inc. is the premium television programming subsidiary of Time Warner Inc. and the world's most successful pay TV service, providing the two television services - HBO(R) and Cinemax(R) - to approximately 134 million subscribers worldwide. The services offer the popular subscription video-on-demand products HBO On Demand(R) and Cinemax On Demand(R), as well as HBO GO(R) and MAX GO(R), HD feeds and multiplex channels. HBO NOW(R), the network's internet-only premium streaming service, provides audiences with instant access to HBO's acclaimed programming in the U.S. Internationally, HBO branded television networks, along with the subscription video-on-demand products HBO On Demand and HBO GO, bring HBO services to over 60 countries. HBO and Cinemax programming is sold into over 150 countries worldwide.

About Wildside

Wildside is one of Italy's leading production companies, with a solid track record for delivering exceptional content to local and international audiences. Founded in 2009 by Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani, the company has produced award winning movies with talents such as Bernardo Bertolucci, Marco Bellocchio and Saverio Costanzo, competing in Europe's most renowned festivals (Cannes, Venice, Berlin), and has also accomplished a long streak of commercial hits in the comedy market. For TV, amongst other titles, Wildside has produced three seasons of the local adaptation of "In Treatment", "1992" and "1993" for Sky and RAI's 2016 hit series "The Mafia Only Kills in Summer". In 2016 the company has also released its first English language international co-production: the debut in television of Academy Award director Paolo Sorrentino, "The Young Pope", starring Jude Law. Wildside is part of FremantleMedia, one of the largest creators, producers and distributors of television brands in the world.

About Mediapro

The MEDIAPRO Group is one of the leading companies in content production for television and whose productions have enjoyed remarkable prime time success on the principal Spanish TV networks for over 20 years. The catalogue of programs covers all genres, especially fiction, current affairs satire and documentaries. The programs and series produced by the MEDIAPRO Group have received awards at major national and international television industry festivals and are present in 150 countries airing on regular free-to-air networks as well as the main international pay-per-view TV platforms. In the area of film production, the MEDIAPRO Group has worked with directors such as Woody Allen, Oliver Stone, Manuel Huerga, Fernando Le�n de Aranoa, Javier Fesser, Isabel Coixet, Jean-Jacques Annaud, Patricio Guzman and Roman Polanski. The Group's film portfolio has received widespread acclaim from both cinemagoers and critics alike and includes titles such as "A Perfect Day", "The Pearl Button", "Messi", "El Somni", "Mondays in the Sun", "The Back of the World", "The Secret Life of Words", "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", "Carnage" and "Midnight in Paris". MEDIAPRO productions have been awarded 2 Oscars and 3 nominations, 2 Golden Globes, 2 Independent Spirit awards, 1 Vulcain Prize, 1 Silver Bear, 28 Goya awards, 1 BAFTA and 1 Golden Shell at the San Sebastian Film Festival.