EXCLUSIVE: Showmax brings The Young Pope to Africa!

Piece by: Harun Momanyi
Lifestyle

In an African first, has secured the rights to the critically acclaimed joint HBO and Sky production The Young Pope starring Jude Law and Diane Keaton. The controversial series, which portrays the first American Pope as simultaneously hip, mysterious and ultra-conservative, was directed by Oscar-winner Paolo Sorrentino.

Read the global reviews below

“stunning, thoughtful and visually arresting” – 

“gorgeous and appealingly weird”  – 

“The Young Pope is confounding, captivating and one of the most unsettling shows in years”  –

In an African first, the critically acclaimed new series is available exclusively on .

The premise of The Young Pope is simple: a good-looking young American is elected as the head of the Catholic Church by elderly cardinals, who assume that an easily manipulated, media-friendly Pope will increase the Church’s popularity. What they get is a Cherry Coke Zero addicted smoker, familiar with the pop culture of Daft Punk and Banksy, yet deeply conservative and set on charting a new authoritarian path for the Papacy.

Starring Jude Law (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Alfie, The Talented Mr Ripley) as Lenny Belardo, now Pius XIII, and Diane Keaton (The Godfather, Finding Dory) as the nun who raised him, The Young Pope was directed by Paolo Sorrentino, who won the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar for The Great Beauty in 2014.

The 10 episode first season sees power-hungry Pius XIII choose anonymity, refusing to pose for photos or travel, preferring to transform the position from approachable ambassador into something more distant and sinister. Law’s character sets about a radical transformation of the Vatican, someone from outside the system throwing out centuries of tradition and received wisdom to the horror of those within. Plot and intrigue are, of course, integral to the story.

With parallels to present-day American politics, The Young Pope is unsettling yet fascinating. Thanks to its incredible cast, beautiful cinematography and more than a little controversy, The Young Pope is set to become a hit for Showmax.

The Young Pope premiered on Showmax on 13 April 2017.

For more information on Showmax and to set up a 14-day free trial, visit

About Showmax

Showmax is an internet TV service. For a single monthly fee, get all-you-can-eat access to a huge online catalogue of TV shows, movies, kids’ shows and documentaries. Start and stop when you want. No ads. Cancel anytime – there’s no contract.

Stream Showmax using apps for smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, computers and media players. Showmax also works with Chromecast and AirPlay. Manage data consumption using the bandwidth capping feature. No internet? No problem – download up to 25 shows to smartphones and tablets to watch later offline.

Showmax was born in 2015 and is part of the Naspers group. ShowMax is currently available in more than 60 countries. For a free, no-risk trial, visit