Tom Fontana to Showrun Vatican Drama Based on 'The Devil's Business'

By Elena Vasquez

Tom Fontana, creator of "Oz," will write and showrun a Vatican drama series based on Emanuele Midolo's forthcoming novel "The Devil's Business." Fabel Entertainment secured the book rights and announced the project exclusively. Century will publish the novel in June 2028.

The series centers on Archbishop Paul Marcinkus, the American clergyman nicknamed "The Pope's Bodyguard." Marcinkus ran the Vatican's finances through the 1980s.

Who is Paul Marcinkus?

Marcinkus rose from informal bodyguard to Pope Paul VI to the top of the Vatican Bank. According to the announcement, he "wielded immense power during an era of astonishing scandals involving embezzlement, money laundering, kidnapping, poison and alleged staged suicide."

Midolo's subject was known for a blunt motto: "You can't run the Church on Hail Marys."

Midolo brings investigative credentials to the material. He works on The Sunday Times' Insight team. His reporting has triggered political resignations in the U.K. and earned nominations for the Society of Editors' Scoop of the Year and Investigation of the Year.

The takeaway: this is a true-crime church story with a documented paper trail, not a fiction invented for television.

Who is making the series?

Fabel Entertainment leads development and will produce alongside Picomedia, an Italy-based Fremantle company.

Fontana, also known for "Homicide: Life on the Street" and "Borgia," has pursued this material for years.

"I've wanted to tell this story for decades," Fontana said. "I love this world, and Emanuele's book has given us a new window into Marcinkus. I'm grateful for the chance to finally bring to life a complex man who lives in the grey area between sinner and saint. His is a cautionary tale for our swiftly changing times."

Fremantle's Raffaella De Angelis, head of literary acquisitions, global drama, spearheaded the deal for Fabel.

Why did Fabel buy the rights?

Henrik Bastin, CEO of Fabel Entertainment, committed fast.

"Ten pages into Manu's book proposal, we knew we wanted to make this series," Bastin said. "In a way it's a very American story — rising from the top from humble beginnings — only this time, the setting is the Vatican and the man is doing the Pope's dirty work. Tom Fontana was our first and last call. No showrunner knows the politics of Rome and the Vatican better, and we're thrilled to have his unparalleled wit and fearlessness bringing it to life."

Bastin frames Marcinkus as an American ascent narrative transplanted to the Holy See.

What does the author say?

Midolo, a self-described "Oz" fan since age 10, called the collaboration a dream come true.

"The archbishop at the heart of this true story, Paul Marcinkus, was a larger-than-life figure who makes the fictional cardinals of 'Conclave' look like innocent schoolboys," Midolo said. "I can't wait to see him in action."

Roberto Sessa, founder and CEO of Picomedia, stressed the story's dual identity. "Marcinkus was an American, but his story takes us deep into a chapter of Italian history that still raises difficult questions," Sessa said. "It's a story with international reach and very Italian roots. We're delighted to be working with Fabel and Tom to bring both to the screen."

What happens next?

No network, streamer or release window has been announced. The series will develop alongside the book, which reaches shelves in June 2028 — meaning the television adaptation could arrive close to the publication and ride fresh interest in one of the Vatican's most contested figures.