The Librarian franchise
Encyclopedia
The Librarian is a series of made-for-TV original movies from Turner Network Television starring Noah Wyle
as a librarian
who protects a secret collection of artifacts
.
, through his production company Electric Entertainment, originated the series. The director of the first film was Peter Winther and the writer was David Titcher
who also co-produced with Marc Roskin and Kearie Peak. In 2004, they planned to produce three Librarian films starring "ER" star Wyle.
"Dean's pitch was a refreshing take on the hero story," TNT senior veep of original programming Michael Wright said. "Instead of a muscle-bound, spandex-clad superman, we get an insecure but brilliant guy who thinks he's taking a safe job as a librarian, but instead gets taken on a ride in a world we'd like to believe exists."
Turner Network Television
is an American satellite
/cable-television channel
transmitted by Turner Broadcasting, part of Time Warner
.
) who is hired by the Metropolitan Public Library as a librarian. What Flynn doesn't realise is that the library has existed for centuries and protects a range of historical and often magical items in a secret section of the library, including The Ark of the Covenant, Pandora's box
, and Excalibur
. When part of the Spear of Destiny is stolen from the library, Flynn must recover it with the help of Nicole Noone.
had indicated that the next film in the Librarian series would be a theatrical release. Shooting was planned for some time in 2009. However, actor Noah Wyle
later said in an interview at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con that shooting had not begun and there were no immediate plans for a theatrical release of the next film in the series.
, “There are thousands of artifacts in the Library – each one a new adventure. Based on the response we’ve had from the first film, fans of all ages loved the characters and want to see more. This series will give it to them.”
, Excalibur
, the Ark of the Covenant
, the Fountain of Youth
, the Nautilus
, Noah's Ark
, Pan
's Flute, Pandora's box
, Poseidon
's trident, the Shroud of Turin
. There are also living assets within the Library, for example, the Loch Ness Monster
can be seen in the water around the "tree" made of walkways at the end the Judas Chalice adventure.
Noah Wyle
Noah Strausser Speer Wyle is an American film, television and theatre actor. He is best known for his role as Dr. John Truman Carter III in the Medical drama ER. He has also played Steve Jobs in the 1999 docudrama Pirates of Silicon Valley and Flynn Carsen in The Librarian franchise...
as a librarian
Librarian
A librarian is an information professional trained in library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials for those with information needs...
who protects a secret collection of artifacts
Artifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
.
Origin
Dean DevlinDean Devlin
Dean Devlin is an American screenwriter, producer, television director and former actor. He is the founder of the production company Electric Entertainment.-Personal life:...
, through his production company Electric Entertainment, originated the series. The director of the first film was Peter Winther and the writer was David Titcher
David Titcher
David N. Titcher is a screenwriter. His credits include:*The Librarian: Quest for the Spear*The Curse of King Tut's Tomb*The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines*Around the World in 80 Days*Morgan Stewart's Coming Home...
who also co-produced with Marc Roskin and Kearie Peak. In 2004, they planned to produce three Librarian films starring "ER" star Wyle.
"Dean's pitch was a refreshing take on the hero story," TNT senior veep of original programming Michael Wright said. "Instead of a muscle-bound, spandex-clad superman, we get an insecure but brilliant guy who thinks he's taking a safe job as a librarian, but instead gets taken on a ride in a world we'd like to believe exists."
Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
is an American satellite
Satellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
/cable-television channel
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
transmitted by Turner Broadcasting, part of Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
.
The Librarian: Quest for the Spear (2004)
Quest for the Spear introduces Flynn Carsen (Noah WyleNoah Wyle
Noah Strausser Speer Wyle is an American film, television and theatre actor. He is best known for his role as Dr. John Truman Carter III in the Medical drama ER. He has also played Steve Jobs in the 1999 docudrama Pirates of Silicon Valley and Flynn Carsen in The Librarian franchise...
) who is hired by the Metropolitan Public Library as a librarian. What Flynn doesn't realise is that the library has existed for centuries and protects a range of historical and often magical items in a secret section of the library, including The Ark of the Covenant, Pandora's box
Pandora's box
Pandora's box is an artifact in Greek mythology, taken from the myth of Pandora's creation around line 60 of Hesiod's Works and Days. The "box" was actually a large jar given to Pandora , which contained all the evils of the world. When Pandora opened the jar, all its contents except for one item...
, and Excalibur
Excalibur
Excalibur is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Great Britain. Sometimes Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone are said to be the same weapon, but in most versions they are considered separate. The sword was...
. When part of the Spear of Destiny is stolen from the library, Flynn must recover it with the help of Nicole Noone.
The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines (2006)
Return to King Solomon's Mines begins with Flynn attending a party at his mother's house where he meets up with his "Uncle" Jerry, a close friend of his late father. Soon Flynn is on a quest to locate King Solomon's Mines, and along the way he teams up with Emily Davenport, an archaeologist who helps Flynn translate the Akon(aklo algolis) language. When they meet up with Jerry in Kenya, all is not what it seems...The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice (2008)
Curse of the Judas Chalice finds Flynn suffering from a series of strange dreams which led him to New Orleans, where he finds himself in the midst of uncovering a conspiracy that involves the notorious vampire Prince Vlad Dracul. Once again, Flynn must overcome his fears and protect one of the world's most sacred artifacts, the Judas Chalice, or face the consequences of it falling into the wrong hands.Upcoming films
Producer Dean DevlinDean Devlin
Dean Devlin is an American screenwriter, producer, television director and former actor. He is the founder of the production company Electric Entertainment.-Personal life:...
had indicated that the next film in the Librarian series would be a theatrical release. Shooting was planned for some time in 2009. However, actor Noah Wyle
Noah Wyle
Noah Strausser Speer Wyle is an American film, television and theatre actor. He is best known for his role as Dr. John Truman Carter III in the Medical drama ER. He has also played Steve Jobs in the 1999 docudrama Pirates of Silicon Valley and Flynn Carsen in The Librarian franchise...
later said in an interview at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con that shooting had not begun and there were no immediate plans for a theatrical release of the next film in the series.
The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines
Released in November 2006, Electric Entertainment and Atlantis Studios produced a graphic novel adaptation of 'Return to King Solomon's Mines'. The adaption was written by James Watson and illustrated by Nate Pride. Atlantis Studios has a website for the adaption.Original stories
Electric Entertainment and Atlantis Studios additionally signed an exclusive worldwide agreement to produce an original comic book series based on the Librarian characters. “Comics are great opportunities to explore mythology, history, and each character in a way we could never do on film” said Executive Producer Dean DevlinDean Devlin
Dean Devlin is an American screenwriter, producer, television director and former actor. He is the founder of the production company Electric Entertainment.-Personal life:...
, “There are thousands of artifacts in the Library – each one a new adventure. Based on the response we’ve had from the first film, fans of all ages loved the characters and want to see more. This series will give it to them.”
The Adventures of the Librarian: Quest For The Spear
A novelization of the first movie was adapted by Christopher Tracy as "The Adventures of the Librarian: Quest For The Spear" which was published in 2004.Characters
| Character | Film | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| The Librarian: Quest for the Spear The Librarian: Quest for the Spear The Librarian: Quest for the Spear is the first in The Librarian franchise of movies which was originally released on American cable channel TNT in December 2004, directed by Peter Winther and starring Noah Wyle in the title role.... (2004) |
The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines is the second in The Librarian franchise of movies starring Noah Wyle as a librarian who protects a secret collection of artifacts. Gabrielle Anwar, Bob Newhart, Jane Curtin and Olympia Dukakis co-star. It is a sequel to 2004's The Librarian: Quest for... (2006) |
The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice is the third in The Librarian franchise of movies starring Noah Wyle as a librarian who protects a secret collection of artifacts... (2008) |
|
| Flynn Carsen | Noah Wyle Noah Wyle Noah Strausser Speer Wyle is an American film, television and theatre actor. He is best known for his role as Dr. John Truman Carter III in the Medical drama ER. He has also played Steve Jobs in the 1999 docudrama Pirates of Silicon Valley and Flynn Carsen in The Librarian franchise... |
||
| Margie Carsen | Olympia Dukakis Olympia Dukakis Olympia Dukakis is an American actress. In 1987, she won an Academy Award, BAFTA, and a Golden Globe for her performance in Moonstruck... |
||
| Charlene | Jane Curtin Jane Curtin Jane Therese Curtin is an American actress and comedienne. She is commonly referred to as Queen of the Deadpan.First coming to prominence as an original cast member on Saturday Night Live in 1975, she went on to win back-to-back Emmy Awards for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series on the 1980s... |
||
| Judson | Bob Newhart Bob Newhart George Robert Newhart , known professionally as Bob Newhart, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Noted for his deadpan and slightly stammering delivery, Newhart came to prominence in the 1960s when his album of comedic monologues The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart was a worldwide... |
||
| Edward Wilde | Kyle MacLachlan Kyle MacLachlan Kyle Merritt MacLachlan is an American actor. MacLachlan is best known for his roles in cult films Blue Velvet as Jeffrey Beaumont, Showgirls as Zack Carey, as Paul Atreides in Dune, and Ray Manzarek in the Oliver Stone film The Doors... |
||
| Nicole Noone | Sonya Walger Sonya Walger Sonya Walger is an English actress known for her roles in the ABC series Lost as Penelope "Penny" Widmore, and as Olivia Benford on ABC's FlashForward.-Education:... |
||
| Lana | Kelly Hu Kelly Hu Kelly Ann Hu is an American actress and former fashion model. She was Miss Teen USA 1985 and Miss Hawaii USA 1993.-Early life:Hu was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, the daughter of Juanita, an engineering drafter for Honolulu, and Herbert Hu, a salesman and exotic bird breeder; the two divorced during... |
||
| "Uncle" Jerry | Robert Foxworth Robert Foxworth Robert Heath Foxworth is an American film, stage and television actor.-Early life and career:Foxworth was born in Houston, Texas, the son of Erna Beth , a writer, and John Howard Foxworth, a roofing contractor... |
||
| Emily Davenport | Gabrielle Anwar Gabrielle Anwar Gabrielle Anwar is an English actress. She is known for her role as Margaret Tudor on The Tudors, for dancing the tango with Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman and for her current role as Fiona Glenanne on USA's Burn Notice.- Early life :... |
||
| Jomo | Hakeem Kae-Kazim Hakeem Kae-Kazim Hakeem Kae-Kazim , sometimes credited as "Hakim Kae Kazim", is an actor who played Georges Rutaganda on Hotel Rwanda in 2004 directed by Terry George... |
||
| Gen. Samir | Erick Avari Erick Avari Erick Avari is an Indian American television, film and theater actor known for his roles in various science-fiction serial productions.-Early life:... |
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| Professor Lazlo | Bruce Davison Bruce Davison Bruce Davison is an American actor and director.-Early life:Davison was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Marian E. , a secretary, and Clair W. Davison, a musician, architect, and draftsman for the Army Engineers. His parents divorced when he was three years old. He was raised by his... |
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| Simone Renoir | Stana Katic Stana Katic Stana Katic is a film and television actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Detective Kate Beckett in ABC's Castle.- Early life :... |
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| Sergei Kubichek | Dikran Tulaine | ||
| Ivan | Jason Douglas Jason Douglas Jason Douglas is an American stage and film actor who is gaining increasing visibility of late by breaking into mainstream film and television work. He is also a known anime voice actor who works for Funimation Entertainment, ADV Films, Seraphim Digital, and OkraTron 5000.-Anime Voices:* A.D... |
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| Katie | Beth Burvant | ||
| Debra Markham Porter | Lisa Brenner Lisa Brenner Lisa Dawn Brenner is a US film and television actress. Brenner played Maggie Cory on Another World. She was also in All My Children as Allison Sloan.... |
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The Librarians
The Librarians are the guardians of powerful and magical relics, and have been for centuries, and often undertake global-spanning adventures to recover items and store them in the Library. Some of the relics in the library include:The Mona LisaMona Lisa
Mona Lisa is a portrait by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. It is a painting in oil on a poplar panel, completed circa 1503–1519...
, Excalibur
Excalibur
Excalibur is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Great Britain. Sometimes Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone are said to be the same weapon, but in most versions they are considered separate. The sword was...
, the Ark of the Covenant
Ark of the Covenant
The Ark of the Covenant , also known as the Ark of the Testimony, is a chest described in Book of Exodus as solely containing the Tablets of Stone on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed...
, the Fountain of Youth
Fountain of Youth
The Fountain of Youth is a legendary spring that reputedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks of its waters. Tales of such a fountain have been recounted across the world for thousands of years, appearing in writings by Herodotus, the Alexander romance, and the stories of Prester John...
, the Nautilus
Nautilus (Verne)
The Nautilus is the fictional submarine featured in Jules Verne's novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island . Verne named the Nautilus after Robert Fulton's real-life submarine Nautilus...
, Noah's Ark
Noah's Ark
Noah's Ark is a vessel appearing in the Book of Genesis and the Quran . These narratives describe the construction of the ark by Noah at God's command to save himself, his family, and the world's animals from the worldwide deluge of the Great Flood.In the narrative of the ark, God sees the...
, Pan
Pan (mythology)
Pan , in Greek religion and mythology, is the god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, nature, of mountain wilds, hunting and rustic music, as well as the companion of the nymphs. His name originates within the Greek language, from the word paein , meaning "to pasture." He has the hindquarters, legs,...
's Flute, Pandora's box
Pandora's box
Pandora's box is an artifact in Greek mythology, taken from the myth of Pandora's creation around line 60 of Hesiod's Works and Days. The "box" was actually a large jar given to Pandora , which contained all the evils of the world. When Pandora opened the jar, all its contents except for one item...
, Poseidon
Poseidon
Poseidon was the god of the sea, and, as "Earth-Shaker," of the earthquakes in Greek mythology. The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon...
's trident, the Shroud of Turin
Shroud of Turin
The Shroud of Turin or Turin Shroud is a linen cloth bearing the image of a man who appears to have suffered physical trauma in a manner consistent with crucifixion. It is kept in the royal chapel of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, northern Italy. The image on the shroud is...
. There are also living assets within the Library, for example, the Loch Ness Monster
Loch Ness Monster
The Loch Ness Monster is a cryptid that is reputed to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is similar to other supposed lake monsters in Scotland and elsewhere, though its description varies from one account to the next....
can be seen in the water around the "tree" made of walkways at the end the Judas Chalice adventure.
Nominated
- Saturn Award (2007): Best Actor on Television (Noah Wyle), and Best Supporting Actress on Television (Gabrielle Anwar).
- American Society of Cinematographers (2007): ASC Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Movies of the Week/Mini-Series/Pilot (Walt Lloyd)
- Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards (2007): Critics Choice Award for Best Picture Made for Television
- Emmy Awards (2007): Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Joseph LoDuca), and Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
Nominated
- Saturn Award (2005): Best Actor on Television (Noah Wyle), Best Supporting Actor on Television (Kyle MacLachlan), Best Supporting Actress on Television (Sonya Walger), and Best Television Presentation
- Motion Picture Sound Editors (2005): Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing in Television Long Form - Sound Effects & Foley.
- Visual Effects Society Awards (2005): VES Award for Outstanding Compositing in a Broadcast Program
- Writers Guild of America (2006): WGA Award for Long Form - Original (David N. Titcher)