Hollywood cast for The Young Pope.

Oscar-winning film director Paolo Sorrentino begins filming his new movie The Young Pope in Rome on 3 August.

There won't be any scenes filmed in the Vatican however, due to the difficulty in obtaining filming permits from the Holy See, according to a report in the Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera. Instead Sorrentino will film scenes at the French Academy in Villa Medici, Villa Doria Pamphilj, the Orto Botanico in Trastevere, and the Aventine hill.

The film, whose actors include Hollywood stars Jude Law and Diane Keaton, is centred around a fictitious pope, the first Italian-American pontiff in history. The story takes place in the present day between Vatican City, Italy, the US and Africa.

The project, which will filmed in eight 50-minute parts, will be directed entirely by Sorrentino and first will have a trial run as a series on television.

The Young Pope is a coproduction with the US and filming will continue until next February.