Brooke Bunny
One of the most in-demand actors around, and someone who has been resisting the temptation to do more TV (having spent the last few years committed to a series), “Friday Night Lights” star Kyle Chandler, has agreed to star in Showtime’s new series “Vatican”, says THR.
Set in modern times, the drama is “set against the modern-day political machinations within the Catholic Church. The potential series would explore the relationships and rivalries in addition to the mysteries and miracles behind the institution.”
Chandler, who aside from playing ‘Coach Taylor’ on TV’s “Friday Night Lights” for five seasons has also appeared in recent hits like “Argo” and “Zero Dark Thirty”, will play ”Cardinal Thomas Duffy, a charismatic yet enigmatic archbishop of New York whose progressive leanings excite some and alarm others within the hierarchy of the Catholic Church.”
The series reunites Chandler with “Friday Night Lights” EP and Showtime Entertainment president David Nevins, who initially wanted Chandler to play the Damian Lewis role on “Homeland”.
Ridley Scott will direct the pilot episode of the series, with Sebastian Koch and Matthew Goode set to co-star.
”Koch will play Cardinal Marco Malerba, the Vatican’s secretary of state, who is informally known as the “dark prince of the Curia” for his ability to ruthlessly wield power within the Church hierarchy. Goode will play papal secretary Bernd Koch, the pope’s closest confidant, who has a very powerful perch within the Vatican inner circle.”
