Jude Law's Young Pope to sport itsy bitsy papal trunks

British actor Jude Law arrives for the screening of the upcoming television series "The New Pope" on September 1, 2019 presented out of competition during the 76th Venice Film Festival at Venice Lido. Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP

VENICE, Italy - Jude Law will sport nothing but a napkin when he returns to television screens as the Young Pope later this year.

The British actor who plays the fictional first American pope in the hit series told reporters at the Venice film festival that it was "the smallest costume I was ever given".

A sneak preview of the follow-up series to the cheeky Vatican-set story called "The New Pope" showing in Venice Monday has Law's hunky pontiff fall into a coma.

He is replaced by the far more austere English pope, John Paul III, played by fellow Hollywood star John Malkovich.

But Law's Lenny Belardo (aka Pope Pius XIII) eventually comes to, leaving the world's Catholics with two competing leaders.

Trailers for the series, the brainchild of the Italian director Paolo Sorrentino, already have Law's risen again pope promenading on Venice's Lido beach in nothing but a pair of skimpy white trunks.

"You'll be surprised to know that those swimming trunks actually weren't the smallest costume I got to wear," Law teased reporters.

"There is actually a scene where I was wearing a napkin. It was truly the smallest costume I was ever given."

As for the scene in the papal Speedos, Sorrentino said he made Law suffer by forcing him to sport them on a nippy April day. — Agence France-Presse