.- An Italian production crew has begun shooting for a made-for-TV movie about the life of Pope John Paul II.
The film, shot in the pontiff’s native Poland, is an adaptation of an historical account by Italian writer Gian Franco Svidercoschi. Director Giacomo Battiato selected 32-year-old actor Piotr Adamczyk to play the Pope.
"Karol, the story of a man who became pope" will be broadcast in two 90-minute segments on Italian television. The movie will be completed by spring 2005, but no date has been set for the broadcast. The first part of the film is set during World War II and the second part is set in post-War Poland. Some scenes will be shot at the Vatican.
The shoot this past weekend consisted of scenes of a young Karol Wojtyla kayaking in Lake Dobczyce near Krakow, where he later served as bishop. The Pope has reportedly seen the screenplay.
