"Young JEEEZUSS!"

On a positive note, boffo B.O. for Mel Gibson's BraveChrist pic will be a nice push for the television series being developed by Celvyn and myself, in which a young pubescent Jesus comes to terms with his powers and his mysterious origins while hanging around with his best friends, the slightly shady Judas and the perpetually indecisive Thomas, fawning over nubile cheerleader Mary Magdalene, avoiding the ire of school principal Pontius Pilate, and occasionally dueling it out with arch-nemesis Satan, all the while guided along by his dog. Which talks. Because his dog is God.

Think SMALLVILLE. Except with Jesus.

Casting is underway, with Tom Wopat considering the part of Jesus' adopted father, Joseph and Margot Kidder tentatively cast as his wife, Mary. Show title is to be determined: I'm pushing for THE YOUNG JESUS ADVENTURES, while Celvyn prefers NAZARETH, which I think lacks the punch of YOUNG JESUS and sounds too much like a miniseries starring Richard Chamberlain. Theme song by Stryper.

Of the episodes scripted so far, a particular favorite of mine is one in which Jesus and pals go to the beach, where a confused Jesus discovers that he can't actually go for a swim in the waters of Lake Galilee, because he's somehow unable to stop walking on top of them.

I'm telling you, this thing is practically writing itself.