Checking out THE LIBRARIAN - Part 1

Dean Devlin has made a name for himself as an event big screen producer and writer for films such as INDEPENDENCE DAY and STARGATE, but this Sunday (December 5) on TNT at 8:00pm, he'll be bringing his event expertise to the small screen with THE LIBRARIAN: QUEST FOR THE SPEAR. Directed by Peter Winther and executive produced by Devlin, the film stars Noah Wyle as a librarian who becomes a reluctant Indiana Jones-esque action hero. In a two-part Cinescape Exclusive, Devlin fills us in on THE LIBRARIAN and beyond.

What is The Librarian about?

DEAN DEVLIN: THE LIBRARIAN is a story of the ultimate bookworm who's given a job to protect the worlds most valuable and magical artifacts. When one is stolen, he must venture out into the world for the first time in his life in order to save the world.

The Librarian seems to have a great sense of humor (particularly with Bob Newhart and Jane Curtin in the cast) but also a very big Indiana Jones-esque feel? How do both elements balance out in the final cut?

DEVLIN: That's been the challenge of this project. This movie is a fun adventure, but at the same time we didn't want to make a farce. We're hoping you'll be involved with these characters dramatically and at the same time have a lot of fun watching this adventure.

DEVLIN: Originally we were going to do this as a theatrical release but I was approached by Michael Wright from TNT who said that they really wanted to do a big, fun adventure on the network. I told him about THE LIBRARIAN and he was very anxious to see if we could pull this off for the small screen. He's been an incredible partner in this experience and the result has been one of the most fulfilling experiences I've had in the movie business. I'm enormously proud of this film.

You shot The Librarian High-Def? What are your feelings about this medium and will your next big screen project be shot High-Def?

DEVLIN: Yes, I had never worked in the medium before and I was very reluctant to do it. But now, after seeing all the benefits, I'm completely hooked. I can't say that every one of my films will be shot in HD, but many will. It's a very flexible format with a lot of terrific attributes. And now with the next generation of digital cameras coming out, it's just going to get better and better. I find that HD does NOT look like film, but it doesn't look like video either. It has it's own, terrific quality that I'm anxious to explore.

Check out Cinescape tomorrow for Part 2 of our exclusive chat with Dean Devlin as reveals plans for more LIBRARIAN movies as well as what his next big screen foray will be.