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'The Ark' co-creator Dean Devlin says new SYFY series is about 'the triumph of the human spirit'
"We're going to live on! We're going to survive!"
It seems that Dean Devlin has not grown cynical with age. Almost 30 years after the release of Independence Day, the filmmaker continues to live by the inspiring speech he and Roland Emmerich wrote for Bill Pullman's President Whitmore. Those two immortal declarations — "We're going to live on! We're going to survive!" — continue to define his work.
Appearing in a behind-the-scenes interview for this week's installment of the official after-show for The Ark, Devlin explains that the new SYFY series he co-created with Jonathan Glassner — which follows the crew members of an interplanetary vessel carrying humanity's last hope of survival — is all about the stubborn resilience of our species. In other words, humans just don't know when to quit. Sure, it's a bit of a double-edged sword, but that's where the conflict comes from.
“This is a very thrilling show, but not in the conventional sense, in that there’s not these monsters or aliens or laser beams," he says. "This is really a show that’s throwing you in the middle of a crisis [and it] seems like there’s no way out. It’s really about the triumph of the human spirit. We’re an amazing race, the human race, and it’s very hard for us to ever give up. We always think there’s a way to get out of it and we always find ways to get out of trouble. And I think that’s what really makes the show exciting and fun."
He continues: "The average person always says, ‘Well, I would do this in that situation’ or ‘I would do that.’ But you don’t know really know until you’re in the situation. Here is a group of people who are suddenly in a situation they never anticipated and it brings out both the best of them and the worst of them ... Much like our world, the show is divided amongst those who believe that we have to work together to survive and those who really believe in survival of the fittest, that only the strongest survive. These different philosophies clash and the question on our show is, ‘Who will win?’”
Watch the full Episode 3 after-show below:
The Ark airs on SYFY every Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET. New episodes are available to stream on Peacock the day after they premiere.
Looking for more sci-fi content? Check out shows like Resident Alien, Brave New World, Project Blue Book, Eureka, Heroes, Intergalactic, and more streaming now on Peacock.
