Frakes' 'Librarian' Sequel Celebrates Nerds

Jonathan Frakes talked about his new TV movie The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines and called himself a big fan of Lost in a new interview in which he made it clear that he has moved beyond Star Trek but would always be delighted to return.

Speaking to iF Magazine, Frakes said that he had enjoyed directing the sequel to The Librarian: Quest for the Spear, despite an incident where the crew had to run away from hippos. He called star Noah Wyle "very user friendly for a director" and said that Wyle wanted to incorporate classic characters like Sam Spade and Indiana Jones in his portrayal of Flynn Carsen.

"I don’t think we were deprived anything on this film," Frakes added, saying that the budget was quite generous. "Generally you always have a big appetite if you are a director." Because the first Librarian film was successful, TNT encouraged a broader scope for the second. "The magic of the library itself was certainly one of those things...it’s like Star Trek, for the people who watched the first Librarian; they’ll have fun recognizing pieces from it."

Frakes is also aware that the story of the nerdy librarian turned action hero held an appeal for audiences. "You make these films knowing that there are fans that will watch, but you make them for the brand new audience who may or may not know anything about it," he said.

Though he would like an opportunity to direct comedy, Frakes said that he enjoyed being outside of Hollywood - he and his wife and children live in Maine. However, he suspected that Paramount might one day call at least some of The Next Generation actors back for a project: "I think the audience really likes to see people again whom they have identified with. I could be wrong, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to use some of us in something."

A fan of J.J. Abrams, Frakes had heard the rumour that his planned Star Trek movie will be a prequel and said, "The idea of Starfleet Academy is one that’s been kicked around for as long as I remember, so we’ll have to see if it flies." Currently he is waiting for ABC to air his installment of Masters of Science Fiction, co-written by "The City on the Edge of Forever" author Harlan Ellison.

Reuters gave The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines a positive review, noting that the script "offers more insight into Wyle's hero librarian [and] more plot complexity."

Of the visuals, the review states that "Jonathan Frakes directs with a light touch and a bit of a smirk. It's not easy to establish a sense of peril when so much of the danger is comedic, but Frakes manages a careful balance to keep the film from tipping too far in either direction."

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