(LifeSiteNews) — The trailer for the upcoming film Conclave has just been made public.  

Scheduled to be released November 1, the movie follows the fictional Cardinal Lawrence (played by Ralph Fiennes) as he arranges the election of a new pope after the mysterious death of the pervious one, who kept a dark secret.  

“Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with leading one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events, selecting a new Pope, where he finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could shake the very foundation of the Church,” a summary on film website IMDB reads. 

Dubbed a “Vatican conspiracy thriller” by The Hollywood Reporter, the movie is based on a 2016 book by Robert Harris, a British historical fiction writer who has authored books on ancient Rome and World War II. Harris is active on X, where he often belittles conservatives like Nigel Farage. The movie is directed by the German-born Edward Berger, who oversaw the 2022 remake All Quiet on the Western Front.  

Fiennes’ Lawrence is the Dean of the College of Cardinals. He seeks to balance the competing liberal and conservative factions while coming under intense pressure. “We will never find a candidate who doesn’t’ have any kind of black mark,” one of the movie’s characters says in the trailer. In one scene, the roof of the Sistine Chapel is blown off by what could be a missile. 

Catholics will instantly recognize the many similarities between the film and the events that transpired in the Vatican in 2013 after the mysterious resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, who, after citing health reasons for stepping down, lived another nine years.  

The 2013 conclave was also scrutinized by Catholic journalist Julia Meloni, who wrote a book about the influence the liberal St. Gallen Mafia exerted on it.  

Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, former Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, has also repeatedly stated that there were significant irregularities that took place at the conclave, so much so that he alleged that a cardinal who attended it told him he “witnessed facts that render the election of Jorge Mario null and void.” 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Conclave is produced by the London-based House Productions and FilmNation Entertainment and was co-financed by FilmNation and Indian Paintbrush. Conclave is being released by Focus Features, which is an independent distribution company owned by Comcast, which is a subsidiary of NBC Universal.