Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights), who has seemingly been in every movie that came out in 2012, could be returning to the small screen this year for Showtime’s drama pilot The Vatican.  The series gained some extra interest this winter when it was announced Ridley Scott (Prometheus) would be directing the pilot, continuing a trend of film directors setting their sights newly on television (which is great news for TV fans).  The Vatican will (unlike the network’s other Vatican-related series, The Borgias) take place in modern times, and has been described as a “thriller” that will focus on both the politics and spiritual aspects of the modern day Catholic church.  Hit the jump for more on the potential series, as well as Chandler’s much-anticipated role.

As part of the Showtime portion of the TCA Press Tour, President of Entertainment David Nevins took some time to talk about current and upcoming shows for the network, and the end game for a few of their long-time series.  During the interview, he talked about how he felt about the creative direction of Homeland for Season 2, whether he’d consider continuing the series without Damian Lewis, how Dexter is progressing, that the contemporary genre thriller The Vatican (from Paul Attanasio and Ridley Scott) will go into production in April, how John Logan will be writing every episode of Penny Dreadful with the hope that Sam Mendes will direct, that it will be a psychological and highly erotic story set in Victorian London, what fans can expect from The Borgias, when Californication might end, the plan for when Episodes will return, what makes Masters of Sex a compelling series, and the epic feel of the multi-episode event documentary Years of Living Dangerously, from James Cameron.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

Director Ridley Scott may be 75 years old, but he has no plans to slow down anytime soon.  After making a welcome return to the sci-fi genre with Prometheus, Scott dove right into directing the Cormac McCarthy-scripted drama The Counselor.  Now, before he settles on his next feature film, Scott is set to make his first foray into television.  EW reports that Scott will direct the pilot for a new Showtime series called The Vatican.  Written by Paul Attanasio (House), the show is described as “a provocative contemporary genre thriller about spirituality, power and politics – set against the modern-day political machinations within the Catholic church. The series will explore the relationships and rivalries as well as the mysteries and miracles behind one of the world’s most hidden institutions.”

Scott has experience producing on television through his Scott Free banner, but The Vatican will mark his first time directing in the medium.  The order for the show is only for a pilot at this time, but it’s hard to imagine Showtime passing on a Ridley Scott-helmed project. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Last month, the filmmakers behind The Devil Inside announced they would be pursuing another horror film that would start shooting April 9. That film, by writer/director William Brent Bell and co-writer Matthew Peterman now has the title, Wer. Although the plot details are scant, Bell did suggest that the title doesn’t necessarily correlate to “werewolf.” However, he has previously said that the filmmakers wanted to apply the same techniques they used on The Devil Inside to “another classic horror mythology.” Hit the jump for more on Bell/Peterman, including their upcoming project, The Vatican.

The surprise-hit status of The Devil Inside is proving to be rewarding for the film’s director. William Brent Bell, who helmed and co-wrote the found footage horror pic, has been set by Warner Bros. to direct The Vatican. Deadline reports that Bell will helm the conspiracy driven thriller that was scripted by David Cohen (No One Lives). No plot details are given, but the film will be fast tracked by Warner Bros. and is described as a hybrid that uses some found footage techniques.

The Devil Inside was acquired by Paramount for a mere $1 million, but opened to a record-breaking $34.5 million last weekend. Interestingly, the film was met with a harshly negative reaction from both critics and moviegoers. The film’s Cinemascore, which gauges audience reaction, was an “F”. Nevertheless, WB seems to be high on Bell as they plan on moving quickly with The Vatican. You can read our interview with the filmmaker here.