Well, not surprisingly, you guys have more than a few queries concerning recent developments. I’ve received about 650 comments over the past two days and, while I can’t address them all, rest assured I have read them. Still, many of you bring up some very interesting questions that I’m going to try to respond to in this entry.
I’d like to start off by recognizing your anger and disappointment. Hey, many of us wish it could have gone another way too, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to give up on the franchise. Like SG-1, Atlantis will love on in a different format. Now, at present, a lot of you aren’t exactly feeling charitable toward the forthcoming spin-off, Stargate: Universe, and I understand. But the premiere is a long way off and I’m hoping that, when the time comes, you’ll at least consider giving the series a shot.
There’s been a fair amount of talk about SGU being little more than a shallow space romp based on the preliminary buzz. Well, given that the series has been created by Brad Wright and Robert Cooper who will assume co-show running duties once SGU goes into prep, one can expect a certain level of quality. After all, these are the guys who, between them, have written such episodes as Sateda, Beachhead, Unending, Abyss, Meridian, 2010, Torment of Tantalus, and, most recently, The Shrine. They are adept at crafting stories that are fast-paced and entertaining yet resonate with the humanity and spirit of the characters at their core. A better example of their talents can be found in Stargate: Atlantis, a series they created and helped build over the past five years. There’s no doubt in my mind that SGU is in infinitely capable hands and that viewers who tune in to check out the latest Stargate incarnation will not be disappointed.
Also, keep in mind that most of the people who worked hard to bring you Atlantis will be working equally hard to bring you the new series (and, if we can steal some of them away – the Atlantis movie). That includes the directors, most of the staff and crew, in addition to our kick-ass VFX team who were kind enough to post a much-appreciated thank you note in yesterday‘s comment section that I have copied and pasted for anyone who might have missed it…
“Official Memo From The VFX Department of SGA:
As we near shooting of the fifth season of SGA, we at the Stargate : Atlantis VFX Department would like to collectively give our thanks to all the people involved in an amazing five year run of a wonderful series:
To the fans: So many thanks, for all your continued support, appreciation, critiques, well wishes, love and appreciation for a television show we really, really, really have loved to make and be a part of. The SGA fans will always be the best.
To our Writers/Producers: Thank you so much to Brad, Robert, Joe, Paul, Martin, Carl, Alan, Alex for giving us the best and most challenging/interesting material to work with in all of television. We would never have any fun if it wasn’t for you.
To our cast: Joe, David, Jason, Rachel, Jewel, Robert, Amanda, David, Paul, Kavan. You guys are the best. Thank you for your confidence and belief that something was going to be there at that big screen you were looking at. Without your conviction, we would never get the accolades we do.
Our amazing crew: Thank you for experiencing five amazing years with us, it have been a blast.
Sincerely:
Department of Monkey-Headed Waffle Trumpets (TV Division)”
Well, as promised, here are some of the fun photos I took on set the other day. Guest star Dawn Olivieri is, to use Costume Designer Val Halverson’s words, “a hoot”! The native Floridian and former Deal or No Deal Model #14 is possessed of a quick wit and sharp tongue. Oh, and she also happens to be doing a kick-ass job as Identity’s Neeva. Don’t mess with Dawn! A couple of our actors learned the hard way.
To those of you asking – the Book of the Month Club guests and discussions will continue as planned. Catherynne M. Valente will be dropping by and we begin discussion of Stephen Dobyns’ The Church of Dead Girls on Monday.
We’ll also be moving ahead with actress Sharon Taylor’s Q&A. Thanks to all those who submitted questions for Sharon. I hope to hear back from her this week. Next up in our continuing line of special guest bloggers will be Stargate Atlantis props master “Evil” Kenny Gibbs. If you have any questions for Evil, start posting them.
Finally, re: the unclickable photo situation. I did click “File url”, but this only serves to lead to a dead end. I assume I’m supposed to actually add the URL in the space provided, but if I’m uploading directly off my computer rather photobucket or flickr, how does that work?
Today’s pics: Blowing off steam on set!
Mailbag:
DasNdanger writes: “ Wait…you’re not moving over to SGU… Are any of the writers?”
Answer: It’s still to early to say who will be involved and in what capacity.
Missy writes: “Just a quick question, Are you planning on wrapping up the wraith story line between now and the movie, or are you gonna save them for other movies?”
Answer: Some storylines will be wrapped up by series end, but the wraith will continue to be a presence beyond our 100th episode.
Thornyrose writes: “I’m really looking forward to your Stargate version of a horrror story, not to mention seeing Mr. McGillion back on the show.”
Answer: It’s a fun little episode. More edge-of-your-seat popcorn fare than last night’s character-driven drama, but that’s what I love about the show, its ability to tell wildly different stories. I’ll be posting more behind-the-scenes Whispers pics in the lead-up to its airing.
Kimberly writes: “Also, does this affect Creation’s con in April…the one with the Bridge studios tour?”
Answer: I don’t believe it will.
DasNdanger also writes: “Is it possible that this movie is merely a ‘bone’ tossed to both fans and crew/cast alike to appease them, with no intention of making a second or third movie down the line?”
Answer: Definitely not. Much will depend on how it performs but we’re confident that this will be the first of many Atlantis movies.
DasNdanger also writes: “If the first movie is well-supported and successful, then how often do you see SGA movies being produced? Once a year? Twice? More – less?”
Answer: This is a scheduling issue. I think that we could produce as many as three Stargate (either SG-1 or Atlantis) movies a year. Four is a longshot but very possible.
DasNdanger writes: “If all goes well, what do you foresee as the earliest possible release ‘date’ (i.e. beginning/middle/end of a particular year) for the first movie? Latest date?”
Answer: No idea. This would be a question for MGM and Sci Fi.
Laura writes: “…was the Arthur line ad-libbed?”
Answer: Nope. It was scripted.
Tardishart writes: “Stand alone? What? To me that just says filler, no connections emotionally to what has gone before.”
Answer: I disagree. Last night’s episode, for instance, was what I would consider a standalone. The story was self-contained and yet it contained instances that paid off past episodes and developed elements for future stories.
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