Dean Devlin
Dean Devlin | |
|---|---|
 Devlin at the 2023 WonderCon | |
| Born | August 27, 1962 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Southern California |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Pilar Seurat Don Devlin |
Dean Devlin (born August 27, 1962) is an American screenwriter, producer, director, and actor of film and television. He is best known for his collaborations with director Roland Emmerich, and for his work on the Librarian and Leverage television franchises. He is a co-founder of the production companies Centropolis Entertainment and Electric Entertainment.
Early life[edit]
Devlin was born in New York City, the son of actress Pilar Seurat and Don Devlin, a writer, actor, and producer.[1] His father was Jewish and his mother was Filipino.[2] He attended the University of Southern California.
Career[edit]
Film[edit]
Devlin appeared as an actor on numerous television shows throughout the 1980s. He also appeared in films including My Bodyguard, The Wild Life, Real Genius and Martians Go Home. Due to his youthful appearance, Devlin often played teenage characters despite being in his 20s.
Devlin gradually began writing scripts. His first produced screenplay was for Universal Soldier. He reached prominence as a writer/producer working alongside director Roland Emmerich, with whom he teamed after appearing in Emmerich's film Moon 44. Together they cowrote and produced Stargate, the first movie to have a web site.[3] The team then produced Independence Day and Godzilla. They split following the 2000 Mel Gibson film The Patriot, but re-teamed to film Independence Day: Resurgence in 2016.[4] Devlin has also produced Cellular, Who Killed the Electric Car?, and Flyboys.[5]
Devlin's directorial debut was the action sci-fi film Geostorm for Warner Bros.[6] The film was set for a March 2016 release,[7] later rescheduled for October 2017. It starred Gerard Butler as the lead[6] with Jim Sturgess, Abbie Cornish, Ed Harris and Andy García.[8] The film made $221 million on a $120 million budget.[9] In March 2018, Deadline Hollywood calculated the film lost Warner Bros. $71.6 million when factoring in all other expenses and revenues.[10]
Devlin's second film as director was the 2018 thriller Bad Samaritan, starring Robert Sheehan and David Tennant.[11]
Television[edit]
Devlin produced The Triangle miniseries, Leverage (of which he has directed twelve episodes), The Librarian franchise, and The Outpost. He also co-created The Visitor series.[12]
In 2019 Devlin began working with the Philippine media conglomerate ABS-CBN to produce a new series called Almost Paradise (originally titled Off Tropic.)[13] The series premiered in the United States on May 30, 2020, on WGN America, and premiered on Kapamilya Channel in 2021.[14] It was filmed entirely in the Philippines and the majority of the cast members are Filipino, aside from the lead—played by Christian Kane, whom Devlin also worked with on the television shows Leverage and The Librarians.[15]
Delvin produced The Ark TV series for Syfy, which aired starting in February 2023.[16]
Video games[edit]
Devlin was an advisor to the video game company ZeniMax Media from 1999 to 2004.[17] Additionally Devlin was involved in video game projects The 10th Planet[18] and Godzilla Online.[19]
Personal life[edit]
Devlin is married to actress Lisa Brenner.
Filmography[edit]
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Universal Soldier | No | No | Yes | Co-writer with Richard Rothstein & Christopher Leitch |
| 1994 | Stargate | No | Yes | Yes | Co-writer with Roland Emmerich |
| 1996 | Independence Day | No | Yes | Yes | Co-writer with Roland Emmerich |
| 1998 | Godzilla | No | Yes | Yes | Co-writer with Roland Emmerich; co-wrote story with Emmerich, Terry Rossio & Ted Elliott |
| 2000 | The Patriot | No | Yes | No | |
| 2002 | Eight Legged Freaks | No | Yes | No | |
| 2004 | Cellular | No | Yes | No | |
| 2006 | Who Killed the Electric Car? | No | Executive | No | Documentary |
| Flyboys | No | Yes | No | ||
| 2011 | Shakespeare High | No | Executive | No | Documentary |
| 2013 | Transit | No | Executive | No | |
| 2015 | The Wannabe | No | Executive | No | |
| 2016 | Independence Day: Resurgence | No | Yes | Yes | Co-writer with Roland Emmerich, Nicolas Wright, James A. Woods & James Vanderbilt |
| 2017 | Geostorm | Yes | Yes | Yes | Directorial debut Co-writer with Paul Guyot |
| 2018 | Bad Samaritan | Yes | Yes | No |
Television[edit]
The numbers in directing and writing credits refer to the number of episodes.
| Year | Title | Functioned as | Network | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creator | Director | Writer | Executive producer | ||||
| 1997–98 | The Visitor | Yes | No | Yes (3) | Yes | Fox | |
| 1998–2000 | Godzilla: The Series | No | No | No | Yes | Fox Kids | |
| 2004 | The Librarian: Quest for the Spear | No | No | No | Yes | TNT | Television film |
| 2005 | The Triangle | No | No | Story | Yes | Sci-Fi Channel | Miniseries |
| 2006 | Talk to Me | No | No | No | Yes | TNT | Unaired pilot |
| 2006 | The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines | No | No | No | Yes | Television film | |
| 2008 | Blank Slate | No | No | No | Yes | Television film | |
| 2008 | The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice | No | No | No | Yes | Television film | |
| 2008–12 | Leverage | No | Yes (16) | No | Yes | ||
| 2011 | Brain Trust | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | TBS | Unaired pilot |
| 2014–18 | The Librarians | No | Yes (6) | Yes (1) | Yes | TNT | |
| 2018–21 | The Outpost | No | No | No | Yes | The CW | |
| 2020–present | Almost Paradise | No | Yes (1) | Yes (2) | Yes | WGN America season 1, Amazon Freevee season 2 | |
| 2021–present | Leverage: Redemption | No | Yes (4) | Yes (1) | Yes | Amazon Freevee | |
| 2023 | The Ark | Yes | Yes (1) | Yes (1) | Yes | Syfy | [16] |
Acting roles[edit]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | The Wild Life | Liquor Store Clerk |
| City Limits | Ernie | |
| 1985 | Real Genius | Milton |
| 1989 | Martians Go Home | Joe Fledermaus |
| 1990 | Moon 44 | Tyler |
| 1991 | Total Exposure | Adult Bookstore Manager |
Awards and nominations[edit]
| Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominated work | Category | Result | ||
| 1996 | Independence Day | Best Writer | Nominated | ||
| 1998 | — | George Pal Memorial Award | Won | ||
| Golden Raspberry Awards | |||||
| 1996 | Independence Day | Worst Written Film Grossing Over $100 Million | Nominated | ||
| 1998 | Godzilla | Worst Picture | Nominated | ||
| Worst Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
| 2016 | Independence Day: Resurgence | Nominated | |||
| Hugo Awards | |||||
| 1994 | Stargate | Best Dramatic Presentation | Nominated | ||
| 1996 | Independence Day | Nominated | |||
| Online Film & Television Association | |||||
| 1996 | Independence Day | Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror Picture | Nominated | ||
| Sci-Fi Universe Magazine | |||||
| 1996 | Independence Day | Best Writing for a Genre Motion Picture | Won | ||
| Stinkers Bad Movie Awards | |||||
| 1998 | Godzilla | Worst Screenplay for a Film Grossing More than $100 Million Using Hollywood Math |
Won | ||
References[edit]
- ^ "Dean Devlin Biography (1962–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
- ^ "Fil-Am producer Dean Devlin soars with 'Flyboys'". Philippine Daily Inquirer. September 24, 2006. Retrieved March 10, 2007.
- ^ "Godzilla guy has a love for the game". Reed Business Information. December 11, 2000. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
- ^ "ID Forever: Emmerich is producing with Dean Devlin and Harald Kloser". Collider.com. June 24, 2011. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
- ^ "FLYBOYS Squadron Gets Massive New Update-Free Update, Great Reviews, and a Real Fighter Pilot Flight!". Business Wire. Berkshire Hathaway. November 29, 2006. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
- ^ a b McNary, Dave (April 11, 2014). "Gerard Butler to Star in Sci-Fi Thriller 'Geostorm'". variety.com. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
- ^ "Warner Bros Slots 'Geostorm' For 2016". deadline.com. May 2, 2014. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
- ^ "Jim Sturgess, Abbie Cornish in Talks to Join Gerard Butler in 'Geostorm'". hollywoodreporter.com.
- ^ Box Office Mojo: Geostorm
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 29, 2018). "What Were The Biggest Bombs At The 2017 B.O.? Deadline's Most Valuable Blockbuster Tournament". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
- ^ Patten, Dominic (September 16, 2013). "Dean Devlin Sets Next Directorial Effort As Electric Entertainment Picks Up 2 Projects". Deadline. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
- ^ "FOX SETTLES LAWSUIT OVER 'THE VISITOR'". Los Angeles Daily News. Digital First Media. September 19, 1997. Archived from the original on May 1, 2018. Retrieved February 20, 2017 – via TheFreeDictionary.com.
- ^ Camus, Miguel R. (September 26, 2019). "ABS-CBN begins Hollywood gamble with crime series". business.inquirer.net. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
- ^ "'Together as One in 2021': Here are ABS-CBN's upcoming shows, offerings". ABS-CBN News. December 21, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ Jacobs, Meredity (January 19, 2020). "Christian Kane Is Trying to Avoid Stress in 'Almost Paradise'". TVInsider.com. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ a b "Dean Devlin explains why 'The Ark' isn't 'woke' sci-fi: 'There's an attempt to politicize everything now'". www.yahoo.com. February 2, 2023. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
- ^ "ZeniMax Media | profile – business advisory board". September 23, 2001. Archived from the original on February 11, 2001. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
- ^ McNicholas, Conor (October 1995). "The Bizarre Tenth Planet". PC Zone. p. 18. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
- ^ "Godzilla Online". godzillaonline.com. Archived from the original on January 17, 1999. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
External links[edit]
- Dean Devlin at IMDb
- Snider, John C. (December 2, 2008). "Podcast #20 – Dean Devlin". SciFiDimensions.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1962 births
- 20th-century American screenwriters
- 21st-century American screenwriters
- Film producers from New York (state)
- American male actors of Filipino descent
- American male film actors
- American male screenwriters
- American people of Jewish descent
- Living people
- Male actors from New York City
- University of Southern California alumni
- Screenwriters from New York (state)
- American film directors of Filipino descent
- American television directors
- American film production company founders
- American television producers
- American television writers
- Skydance Media people