Serbia’s Film Industry Powers the Next Chapter of “The Librarians”
The first episode of “The Librarians: The Next Chapter” premiered in the United States on May 25, 2025, on TNT as the #1 new cable original drama season premiere of 2025. Created on the popularity of the Librarians franchise, which originally aired from 2014 to 2018, as well as the 3 Librarian Movies before that, the series is returning to a loyal global fanbase with its mix of adventure, magic, and mystery. It brings fresh characters into the Belgrade setting expanding the world of The Librarians with new stories, while staying true to the spirit of the original.
The new cast is headlined by Callum McGowan as Vikram Chamberlain, a time-traveling Librarian from the 19th century who returns to his castle in Belgrade, Serbia, only to discover it has been turned into a museum. His return accidentally releases magic across the continent, and the team helping him clean up the mess includes Jessica Green as Charlie Cornwall, a disciplined Guardian-in-training, Olivia Morris as Lysa Pascal, a brilliant polymath, and Bluey Robinson as Connor Green, a historian and parkour expert. Christian Kane, returning from the original series, makes a special appearance as Jacob Stone.
“The Librarians: The Next Chapter” takes viewers on an exciting adventure that unfolds in and around the historic fortress of Kalemegdan, the grandeur of St. Mark’s Church, bustling pedestrian Knez Mihailova street, alongside striking landmarks like the Zvezdara Observatory, the elegant White Palace (Beli dvor), and the legendary Blue Train (Plavi voz). Belgrade’s charm and character are fully integrated into the narrative, giving the series an authentic European flair. The inside of the Library was filmed at PFI Studios, designed by the imaginative creative duo Jovana Cvetković and Jelena Šopić.
Dean Devlin serves as showrunner and executive producer alongside Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan-Wilson of Electric Entertainment. Gary Rosen, Kate Rorick and Tom MacRae are also executive producers. Noah Wyle serves as producer. Brandon Lambdin, Mark Franco of Electric Entertainment and Jonathan English of Balkanic Media also produce.
Serbia’s capacity to support large-scale international productions is evidenced by the significant contributions Serbian crews have made across art direction, makeup, stunts, and camera departments on multiple Electric Entertainment series.
The costumes were created entirely by Ivana Vasić and her team, whose ongoing collaboration with Electric Entertainment reflects the trust and quality built through previous successful projects.
The collaboration between local talent and the American production team has resulted in a visually rich and artistically ambitious series. By setting the story within the city itself, “The Librarians: The Next Chapter” goes beyond the typical use of Serbia as a “background” location, instead positioning Belgrade as an integral character in the series. Young directors like Sandra Mitrović, Milan Todorović, Milena Grujić, Nemanja Ćipranić, and Milan Konjević helped shape the artistic vision of several episodes.
“The Librarians: The Next Chapter” is a unique show with a large global fan base, so every detail is critically important. Serbia contributed with excellent locations and most importantly, Belgrade, which is the home of the Library in the series; it’s the first time a US network TV series has been set in Belgrade. Serbia is an exceptional place for the TV and film industry with diverse locations, great film professionals and first class facilities such as PFI Studios. Also, there are incentives from the Ministry of Culture that changed the game, because of which Serbia is now a highly valued filming destination and production partner. From my experience (including more than dozen projects in Serbia so far), shooting a high profile series as The Librarians: The Next Chapter is yet another example of how Serbia’s film industry continues to grow.”, said Producer Jonathan English.
From the perspective of a Film Commission, this project comes as a creative pinnacle. Milica Božanić, Executive Director of the Serbia Film Commission says:
“It is a real delight to watch the streets of Belgrade in a contemporary fantasy-filled show, with lots of VFX and CG works. Electric Entertainment has proven to be a true partner and creative powerhouse, embracing local culture and crafting stories with tropes of Serbian supernatural folklore. This is a truly admirable collaboration between Electric and Balkanic. I believe that this exciting series will resonate with audiences, and that it will also influence future productions to consider Serbia as a filming location.”
Production recently wrapped on the second season of “The Librarians: The Next Chapter”, promising to bring even more exciting stories very soon.
Link to article: https://www.filminserbia.com/news/serbias-film-industry-powers-next-chapter-librarians/