After his previous film, All Quiet on the Western Front, won multiple Oscars, director Edward Berger had many options ahead of him, but he decided to direct an adaptation of Daniel Harris’ bestselling book, Conclave.

Adapted by Oscar nominee Peter Straughan (Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy), Conclave stars Oscar nominee Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence, who is commissioned with the task to run the elections to help find the new Pope. Other cardinals, including his American colleague, Cardinal Bellini, played by Stanley Tucci, want Lawrence to take the position, but he has recused himself to focus on the task at hand. Over the course of the next few days, Lawrence is made privy to many secrets held by the various cardinals vying to become the next Pope, which makes his job even tougher. 

With a talented ensemble cast includes Isabella Rossellini, John Lithgow, Jacek Koman, Lucian Msamati, Sergio Castellitto, Brían F. O’Byrne, and Carlos Diehz, Conclave has been building Oscar buzz ever since it debuted at the Telluride Film Festival in late August, and the dramatic thriller could possibly get Berger his first nomination for direction, which wasn’t the case for All Quiet on the Western Front.

Cinema Daily US recently spoke with Berger about making Conclave about how he got involved with directing the thriller, casting all the cardinals around Fiennes and one of the tougher ones to cast, and recreating the Vatican in different locations. He also spoke about the potential for him making a Jason Bourne movie with Matt Damon, and why he might be interested in doing his first studio franchise.

Look for more interviews with some of Berger’s below-the-line collaborators soon.

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Director: Edward Berger

Screenwriter: Peter Straughan

Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Isabella Rossellini, Lucian Msamati, Carlos Diehz, Brían F. O’Byrne, Sergio Castellitto

Producer: Alice Dawson, Robert Harris, Juliette Howell, Michael Jackman

Production Co: Indian Paintbrush, FilmNation Entertainment, Access Entertainment, House Productions

Distributor: Focus Features

Rating: PG (Thematic Material|Smoking)

Genre: Drama, Thriller

Language: English, Italian, Spanish, Latin

Release Date (Theaters): October 25, 2024

Runtime: 2 hours

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You can watch the trailer  below: