Upon seeing Pope Francis's first appearance on the balcony of
St. Peter's Square, director
Daniele Luchetti began contemplating a film about Pope Francis's life. The film's script was written by Daniele Luchetti and
Martín Salinas. Luchetti has said that he aimed to avoid hagiography in the film, though it presents a generally positive portrayal of the pope. The pope did not provide guidance to the film's production team, despite their attempts to contact him. The film was shot in Italy, Germany, and Argentina over 15 weeks. The film cost 13 million euros, or approximately 14 million dollars, to produce. Writer
Evangelina Himitian has claimed that the film is an illegal adaptation of her book ''Francis, the People's Pope
(Francisco, el Papa de la gente''). In March 2014, producer Pietro Valsecchi acquired an option to adapt the biography for the film; he ultimately did not exercise this option. According to Himitian, the film is nonetheless based on her research and her meetings with the film's production team. Valsecchi has denied Himitian's allegations, saying that the film is based on multiple sources and not simply her biography, and that the 40,000 euro option would have been a trivial component of the film's budget had the film in fact been based on her book. At the time Himitian made her initial allegations, she had not yet seen the film. == Release ==