.- The Catholic actor Neal McDonough, who lost a lead role for his refusal to do heated love scenes, will produce and star in a new series about a policeman turned priest.
McDonough, who has played roles on shows such as “Desperate Housewives,” “Boomtown” and “Band of Brothers,” lost his role on the new ABC series “Scoundrels” three days into filming. While ABC described the action as a “casting change,” news reports linked it to the actor’s refusal to do sex scenes.
Nikki Finke of Deadline Hollywood now reports that McDonough will be executive producer and star in a new Starz series titled “Vigilante Priest.” His lead character, a priest, is a former policeman who is cleaning up the streets of Los Angeles “one sinner at a time.”
The actor is co-creating the series with “Law & Order” producer Walon Green. John Avnet will direct the pilot and will co-produce.
According to Finke, Starz has put the project on the fast track.
“I continue to applaud the Band Of Brothers and Desperate Housewives standout for sticking to his principles even if it has cost him jobs,” Finke wrote at Deadline Hollywood.
McDonough is also co-starring in the movie “Captain America,” based on the Marvel comic book.
