Edward Berger’s ‘Conclave’ Has Us Surprisingly Invested in the Complexities of Pope Elections

After tantalizing audiences with the brilliant 2022 epic anti-war film All Quiet on the Western Front, writer and director Edward Berger’s latest project will see Ralph Fiennes tasked with finding the next Pope.

The film, titled Conclave, is set for a US release on November 1, 2024. The movie’s storyline gives the impression that it might be based on a true story, but is actually adapted from British writer Richard Harris’ 2016 novel of the same name. The story follows Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Fiennes), as he wades through the complexities of papal elections while simultaneously uncovering dark secrets after the death of the incumbent Pope.

Here’s the list of lead cast members attached to the project:

• Stanley Tucci as Cardinal Aldo Bellini
• John Lithgow as Cardinal Tremblay
• Isabella Rossellini as Sister Agnes
• Lucian Msamati as Cardinal Adeyemi

As mentioned above, Fiennes portrays the protagonist, with Carlos Diehz, Sergio Castellitto, Brían F. O’Byrne, Merab Ninidze, Thomas Loibl, and Jacek Koman appearing in supporting roles.

You can check out the trailer for the film here:

Ralph Fiennes’s other acting credits this year include the upcoming historical drama film The Return, in which he will share the screen with French veteran Juliette Binoche. Directed by Italian filmmaker Uberto Pasolini, it is a retelling of Homer’s Odyssey. The film gets a theatrical release in the United States on December 6, 2024.

Conclave will be Berger’s sixth film, and fourth major production, after Jack, All My Loving, and All Quiet on the Western Front. He will follow up the pope mystery drama with Netflix’s psychological thriller The Ballad of a Small Player, starring Collin Farrell and Tilda Swinton. The movie is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Lawrence Osborne, with Rowan Joffé penning the screenplay.