ABC Buys Spiritual Drama From ‘Lost’ Exec Producer Carlton Cuse And Pastor Rob Bell
Carlton Cuse has teamed with author/pastor Rob Bell for Stronger, a drama project with spiritual overtones, which has been sold to ABC via ABC Studios in a hefty script deal. Stronger, which the former Lost co-showrunner and the founder of Michigan’s Mars Hill Bible Church are co-writing and executive producing, revolves around Tom Stronger, a musician and teacher, and his spiritual journey as he becomes a benefactor and guide to others. Music is expected to be a big part of the show, which features autobiographical elements as Bell is a former musician and played with rock/gospel bands in the 1990s.
Cuse and Bell met at the 2011 Time 100 gala — Bell was a 2011 honoree and Cuse had been on the magazine’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people in 2010. The two immediately hit it off and soon concocted the idea for Stronger. While spiritual, Stronger won’t be supernatural. It will touch on the spiritual side of people’s lives much like the final season of Lost did and like Bell has done in his career as a pastor speaking to congregations of more than 10,000. Bell last week announced that he will be leaving the Mars Hill Bible Church in December to move with his family to Los Angeles. The series with Cuse is one of many things Bell plans to pursue, including touring and writing more books. (His most recent tome, Love Wins, is currently on the New York Times bestseller list.) Bell’s expertise is expected to add authenticity to the project, which won’t be straight and square like previous spiritual network offerings, including Touched By An Angel and 7th Heaven, and is also expected to feature a healthy dose of humor. Because the genre is missing from TV at moment, the networks have pursued projects with spiritual elements. Marc Cherry’s Hallelujah was picked up to pilot at ABC last season and is currently being redeveloped. In addition to Stronger, Cuse has another project, Civil War drama Point of Honor, in development at ABC. Co-written by Cuse and Randall Wallace, Point of Honor was sold late last year and remains in consideration. On the feature side, WME-repped Cuse is writing an African action adventure movie for 20th Century Fox with Shawn Levy attached to direct and Hugh Jackman to star.
Sounds great. LOST was a very spiritual show and this looks like an opportunity to explore some of those themes further. I hope this show is a success, as spirituality is something many people don’t even think about anymore, sadly.
At least this show will admit to being theocratic propaganda, as opposed to Lost.
you do know that “theological” and “theocratic” are two different words, right?
also different words, “perspective” and “propaganda”
Rob Bell is the man. Good for him.
Where is the like button? Well said.
What a bunch of garbage Bells books and beliefs are false read your bible people.This man is teaching falsely and now he gets to spread his not Gods message to those who wouldn’t know to ask or discern the truth. Thank God for the millions that do know the truth and are not afraid to speak it.
You’re uneducated. Rob Bell and the folks that listen/read him are hardly right-wingers. Do some research.
I second MK. I first saw Rob Bell with a very closed mind and came away being utterly blown away. This guy is amazing and transcend silly dogmatic doctrines that restrain religion and embraces a philosophy that dares exploration of the human mind and soul.
I need a like button…. :O)
pretty much everything bell has done he has done very well.
I might just have to start watching television now!
Rob Bell’s doctrine is wrong…People do end up in hell. Vague spirituality is satanic, just like Oprahism. You don’t like what God says, so just change it to fit your wants. This Jesus can’t save you, because you made him up. If you want to know about Jesus love, read the Bible and make your own mind up about what he says about himself, especially in the Book of John.
Religion is like a penis: it’s cool that you have one, but don’t ever whip it out in public, or in front of kids.
I am beyond disappointed to see this announcement.
Imagine no religion…
We have imagined it. It’s called the former Soviet Union and China…
We need better imaginations.