POPE BILBO OUT, POPE JOE BUCK IN

Oscar winner Jon Voight has replaced Ian Holm in the CBS miniseries about Pope John Paul II.

The four-hour miniseries, working under the straightforward title "Pope John Paul II," has begun production in Krakow, Poland, and will later shoot in Vatican City.

Holm, who was originally set to play the late pope as an older man, dropped out of the project for "personal reasons," CBS says.

Voight, a four-time Oscar nominee and best actor winner in 1979 for "Coming Home," will now take on the role of John Paul during his papacy. Cary Elwes is playing Karol Wojtyla as a younger man.

Also in the cast will be James Cromwell, Ben Gazzara, and Charles Dance.

If only the recasting involved getting Elijah Wood to play the younger Wojtyla. Then I could have used the headline "Il Papa's Got A Brand New Baggins"......

I figure I'm already in dutch with my church, so what the bleep.

BCnU!
Tele-Toby