Showtime has cast "Friday Night Lights" alum Kyle Chandler as the lead in Ridley Scott and Paul Attanasio's "The Vatican" pilot, the network said on Friday.
The Emmy winner, who also plays a pivotal role in "Zero Dark Thirty," will portray Cardinal Thomas Duffy in the contemporary genre thriller about spirituality, power and politics. Chandler's character is described as a charismatic yet enigmatic Archbishop of New York, whose progressive leanings excite some and alarm others within the hierarchy of the Catholic Church.
Also read: Ridley Scott, Paul Attanasio Working on 'Vatican' Pilot for Showtime
Matthew Goode ("Watchmen") and Sebastian Koch ("The Lives of Others") have also joined the cast of the pilot, which was written by Attanasio and will be directed by Scott.