Note: this post contains spoilers for the book and film Conclave.
Conclave, director Edward Berger’s gripping drama about the cutthroat cardinals electing a new pope, is a largely faithful adaptation of Robert Harris’s 2016 novel of the same name.
When the supreme pontiff — the head of the Catholic Church — dies, cardinals from all over the world gather in Vatican City to vote for a new pope from among their elite group. These holy men are senior clergy members appointed by the pope to the Sacred College of Cardinals, but their ambitions can bring out their devilish instincts.
Indeed, the vote depicted in Conclave is a highly choreographed affair involving pageantry, secret ballots — and plenty of backstabbing. Some of the men are so determined to become pope, they’re willing to ruin their colleagues’ reputations to get there.
The movie, which is already getting Oscar buzz, stars Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Isabella Rossellini and a large ensemble of actors.
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Below, PEOPLE breaks down the biggest differences between the book and film.
Key details about the protagonist have changed
In the film, Fiennes, 61, plays the British Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, the dean of the College of Cardinals and a confidant of the late pope. He is tasked with overseeing the election of the next pontiff.
Courtesy of Focus Features
Harris’s novel, however, features an Italian main character: Cardinal Jacopo Lomeli, who is 75 years old and described as being a bit frailer than Fiennes’ more energetic depiction. When Lomeli stands after kneeling at the dead pope’s beside, he rises “on knees that creaked after seven decades of constant genuflection,” Harris writes.
Cardinal Bellini is now American
Tucci’s self-doubting Cardinal Aldo Bellini hails from Italy in the novel. But he’s from the United States in the film version of Conclave. In both the book and the movie, Bellini and the dean are friends and allies.
The cardinals’ quarters get an upgrade
When the cardinals assemble in Italy to elect the new pope, they must all bunk together at the Casa Santa Marta, a building described in the novel as “a grey stone rectangle lying on its side,” which reminds Lomei of “a Soviet apartment building.” Inside, the accommodations are basic. Each man is assigned a room with “plain white walls, a parquet floor and an iron bedstead.”
Philippe Antonello/Focus Features
On screen though, the rooms appear much grander, with marble walls and more comfortable-looking accommodations. (Hey, that’s the magic of Hollywood.)
A pivotal character gets a new biography
The mysterious Cardinal Benítez, who plays a major role in the events of the book and the film, is a surprise addition to the conclave. He shows up unannounced, having been made a cardinal by the pope in pectore — a Latin term meaning “in the heart” — so his elevation to the position was unknown by the others.
In the book, Benítez hails from the Philippines and served as Archbishop of Baghdad. The film changes Benítez’s country of origin to Mexico and alters his most recent post from Baghdad to Kabul, Afghanistan. Newcomer Carlos Diehz plays Benítez.
Sister Agnes amps up the drama
The nuns running the Casa Santa Marta are mostly seen and not heard. One exception is Sister Agnes, played by Rossellini in the film. In both the book and the movie, she is depicted as a stern woman who follows the rules, but isn’t afraid to stand up to the cardinals.
Courtesy of Focus Features
In one heart-pounding scene, Cardinal Lawrence snoops in the dead pope’s private quarters looking for evidence of his colleagues’ misdeeds. He’s nearly caught by Sister Agnes, who is in the hallway outside. The book also depicts Lomeli also snooping, but there’s no mention of Sister Agnes nearby.
Conclave is now playing in theaters nationwide.
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