Actor Shia LaBeouf to Portray St. Padre Pio in Upcoming Hollywood Film

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Actor Shia LaBeouf will star as the lead role in an upcoming Hollywood film about the young life of St. Padre Pio, a 20th-century Italian priest, stigmatist, and mystic. Filmmaker Abel Ferrara will direct the movie.

“We’re doing a film about Padre Pio–he’s a monk from Puglia. It’s set in Italy right after World War I. He’s now a saint, and he had stigmata. He was also in the middle of a very heavy political period in world history,” Ferrara told Variety.

“He was very young before he became a saint, so Shia LaBeouf is going to play the monk.”

LaBeouf is best known for his role in the Transformers and Indiana Jones movies, as well as multiple Disney television shows and movies.

The 35-year-old actor told Interview Magazine he converted from Judaism to Christianity while filming the 2014 movie Fury.

“I found God doing Fury. I became a Christian man…in a real way,” he said. “I could have just said the prayers that were on the page. But it was a real thing that really saved me.”

However, due to LaBeouf’s abuse allegations and charges, Ferrara reportedly hopes the role will help the actor’s career “comeback”.

Ferrara said filming is “all set” to begin in October in Puglia, Italy. He added that he considers it “bigger” than his other recent projects.

Say a prayer for Abel Ferrara and Shia LaBeouf!