Showtime Will Not Move Forward With 'The Vatican'

Credit: NBC

In a surprising decision, Showtime has decided it will not move forward with The Vatican, the controversial drama in development from creator Paul Attanasio.

It's exceedingly rare for a network to ditch a pilot with this much talent both in front of and behind the camera: the series had been set to star Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) as a New York cardinal with Anna Friel (Pushing Daisies) as his sister. The series was also set to star Matthew Goode and Sebastian Koch. Academy Award-nominated director Ridley Scott (Gladiator) directed the pilot, shot earlier this year.

Since The Vatican was announced, Catholic groups have attacked the very existence of project as “an assault on the Catholic Church” despite having no real idea what the show was about beyond the possible existence of a sinister Pope character. However, Showtime entertainment president David Nevins implied that the decision to ax The Vatican wasn't due to outside pressure from Catholic groups, but rather because the series, which included a supernatural element, just wasn’t working out creatively.

This is a bit of a shame, as The Vatican was one of my most anticipated series of 2014. But if it wasn't working, it wasn't working. I at least respect Showtime for showing the restraint not to release a subpar product, even with the amount of top-pedigree talent attached. Maybe the pilot, at the very least, will see the light of day sometime, so it doesn't all go to waste.

Via: Entertainment Weekly