Chris Pratt and Pope Leo Team Up for Vatican Documentary on St. Peter’s Tomb
Nov. 18, 2026, will mark 400 years since St. Peter’s Basilica was consecrated, and the Vatican has chosen an unusual way to celebrate. A new documentary takes viewers beneath the basilica to the burial place traditionally believed to be that of the Apostle Peter, with a Hollywood star as its guide.
The film is called ‘Pétros Ení — Discovering the Origins’. It is directed by Spanish filmmaker Paula Ortiz and written by Andrea Tornielli, and it is produced by AF Films, led by Frank Ariza and Manu Vega, together with Vatican Media and La Fabbrica di San Pietro, the Catholic institution responsible for the basilica’s upkeep.
Production took place inside St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Necropolis, the burial ground beneath Vatican City that holds tombs dating from the first to fourth centuries A.D. The project was announced as the first time the tomb would be captured on camera in this way, with exclusive images never seen before.
The documentary’s on-screen guide is ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and ‘Jurassic World’ star Chris Pratt, and it also features a special appearance by Pope Leo XIV. Variety revealed the first trailer on Friday, Oct. 16, as the film premiered at the Rome Film Festival ahead of its international rollout.
Pratt said it was an incredible honor to collaborate with Pope Leo and the Vatican, telling Variety that the story of St. Peter is foundational to the Christian faith. He added that he is deeply grateful for the trust and access he was given to bring that legacy to the screen.
The pope appears in the film’s final scenes, reflecting on St. Peter and the significance of his tomb, according to Vatican News. For a documentary that blends faith, history and archaeology, that participation gives it a rare level of institutional backing.
The film follows the story of Peter, the fisherman from Galilee to whom, in the Christian tradition, Jesus entrusted the leadership of the Church. He was martyred in Rome on the Vatican Hill in 64 A.D. According to the synopsis, the film traces how Emperor Constantine chose to preserve the site by leveling the Vatican Hill to build the first large basilica, with the tomb area incorporated into it.
It also looks at the archaeological work that followed. Excavations beneath the basilica were announced by Pope Pius XII in 1950, and in 1968 Pope Paul VI announced that St. Peter’s bones had been identified in a way he considered convincing. The documentary walks viewers step by step through that story, building toward the tomb itself.
Pratt filmed in Rome in December 2025, and he met Pope Leo XIV during the visit. He later described the trip as a profound experience in an essay for Maria Shriver’s The Sunday Paper, writing about standing deep beneath the basilica and encountering the bones of one of Jesus’ disciples as something he could see and touch.
In that essay, Pratt said he was baptized in a Catholic church and has believed in God since childhood, and that he has attended Catholic, Lutheran and Evangelical churches. His wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger, is a practicing Catholic, and the couple attend Mass and are raising their children Catholic. Pratt has also appeared in prayer challenges for the Hallow app and speaks openly about his faith.
The Vatican project fits a pattern of faith-based work in his recent career, even as he continues to appear in major studio films and series. It’s an unusual mix of blockbuster fame and religious subject matter, and it is likely to draw wide curiosity from both fans and general audiences.
The documentary’s timing is deliberate. It was designed to arrive on the 400th anniversary of the consecration of the current basilica, a milestone the Vatican has highlighted for months. The Rome Film Festival premiere kicks off its global release, though details of the rollout beyond Rome have not been spelled out.
For viewers curious about one of the most famous religious sites in the world, the film promises a look at places that are rarely open to cameras. And with Pratt as the guide, it aims to bring that history to a wider audience.
Would you watch Chris Pratt’s Vatican documentary about St. Peter’s tomb?
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