Jean Labadie’s Le Pacte will co-produce Nanni Moretti’s next film, We Have A Pope. French sales company Wild Bunch will handle international sales.

Moretti will start a 15 week shoot in Rome and Florence at the end of the summer.

With a budget of about $12.1m (€9m), the comedy’s casting is currently underway. Moretti will play the part of a psychiatrist who is called in to counsel a cardinal who, although having been elected Pope, is not keen to ascend the papacy.

Le Pacte is co-producing with Italy’s Rai and Moretti’s Sacher Film. Le Pacte will distribute in France.

Pope marks a reunion for Moretti and Labadie who produced Aprile in 1998 and has distributed several of the director’s films. Moretti and Wild Bunch also have a long-standing relationship going back at least five pictures. Wild Bunch’s Vincent Maraval says he is looking for a German co-production partner to come on board, Pope.

Labadie and Maraval describe the film as a “comedy of reflection”. It is co-written by Moretti and his Caiman collaborators Federica Pontremoli and Francesco Piccolo.

The film should be ready for next year’s Cannes.