Showtime has decided to not continue with The Vatican, which starred Kyle Chandler in the pilot and featured Ridley Scott as director.
According to USA Today, Showtime entertainment president David Nevins said the cable network decided not to go forward as there were worries about the future of the show's plot, among other issues.
Friday Night Lights' Chandler played a progressive Cardinal in New York and Anna Friel was cast as his non-religious sister. The pope was played by Bruno Ganz.
The show's plot was to focus on the politics and spirituality in the contemporary Catholic Church as well as on relationships, notes The Hollywood Reporter. Paul Attansio, who also wrote the script for the pilot, left as showrunner after there were problems and reshoots for the pilot.
The Vatican's pilot was the first time Blade Runner's Scott had directed for television. He and David Zucker were also executive producers.
According to THR sources, the pilot was pricey and had issues, as well as Attansio being problematic as showrunner due to missing deadlines and arguing with others working on the show.
Showtime still has two other pilots in the works, now that Vatican is dead, with one being The Affair, which stars Joshua Jackson, and the comedy Happyish with Philip Seymour Hoffman.
image: Wikimedia Commons
