Dueling Pope Projects

You have to love TV. Only TV can wage the battle of the network Pope movies. Reuters is reporting that both CBS and ABC have Pope projects in the works.

ABC will be the first one to air with "Have No Fear: The Life of Pope John Paul II." If the title is too long for a T-shirt or billboard, it reeks of failure. ("Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place," anyone?). They also cast a semi-unknown Thomas Kretschmann ("King Kong") in the lead role. Not a bad idea, since viewers might not accept someone like TV's "Fraser" as the man with the big white hat.

What the CBS one does have is the Vatican's blessing. That's a better endorsement than "TV Guide!" They gave them exclusive footage around St. Peter's Square for the aptly titled "Pope John Paul II." The two-part mini series also has Cary Elwes and Jon Voight splitting the title role. One is an Oscar winner and one is the Dread Pirate Roberts, but because of the ages of both actors, I guess we're not going to see too much pre-Pope action.

The ABC movie airs Thursday, December 1. The CBS extravaganza airs December 4 and 7. -- Rachel Cericola

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Posted by on November 4, 2005 3:27 PM
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