Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog

May 30, 2014: Stargate Returns!

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May 30, 2014: Stargate Returns!

Wait.  What trilogy?  Oh, THIS trilogy: http://www.gateworld.net/news/2014/05/stargates-return-mgm-announces-new-movie-trilogy/

Yep, I’d heard rumblings – and they’ve finally been confirmed.  20 years after the original movie, Devlin and Emmerich will be rebooting Stargate for the big screen.

I continue to be amazed by the franchise’s staying power and continuing evolution, from a Devlin-Emmerich feature film that grossed 200 million to a television juggernaut that, under the stewardship of Brad Wright and Robert Cooper, helped establish SyFy, built MGM’s television division, and generated close to a billion dollars in revenue for the studio, and now back to the big screen.

Last year, I wrote an entry about the future of Stargate,

September 12, 2013: Whither Stargate?

, outlining my take on the various possible scenarios.

My conclusion?  At the end of the day, it all comes down to one thing: Pleasing the fans – new fans AND established fans alike.  [P.S. Wouldn’t a brief cameo by Samantha Carter or Rodney McKay or Dr. Nicholas Rush be truly awesome?].

Everything (not that old) is new again!  I look forward to seeing the gate in action once more.  Very exciting!

I notice fandom response has been mixed.  What do you all think?

Well, thanks to everyone who took the time to take yesterday’s lateral thinking quiz.  You all did very well.  In fact, much better than I did.  Check out all the answers, and more brainteasing questions, here: http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/lateral.htm

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61 responses

  1. Michael A. Burstein Avatar
    Michael A. Burstein

    A new movie would be great, if it was as good as the TV shows.

    Reply
  2. Jonathan Annett Avatar
    Jonathan Annett

    One word.

    Awesome!

    Reply
  3. Randomness Avatar
    Randomness

    Cautiously optimistic best describes how I feel. I don’t think it would be right to judge the movie before the director has had a chance to show what he can do after all this time.

    I would like another TV series to come from all this, I would like that more than anything else.

    Reply
  4. majorsal Avatar
    majorsal

    i won’t be watching ‘this’ version of stargate. the tv franchise, for me, is the only reality that counts. the only reality i want. the only one i love.

    ps to your ps – “[P.S. Wouldn’t a brief cameo by Samantha Carter or Rodney McKay or Dr. Nicholas Rush be truly awesome?].”

    technician: “We have General O’Neill on the line.”

    sergeant: “Which one?”

    technician: “Which one what?”

    sergeant: “Husband or wife?”

    technician: “Oh!… Wife.”

    sergeant: “General O’Neill, I’ll transfer your call to General Landry.”

    Sam: “Thanks, Walter!”

    *sighs with hope*

    Reply
  5. Deni Avatar
    Deni

    Brief cameos, nothing! Leading roles would be better. 🙂 I’m cautiously excited about it. 🙂

    Reply
  6. whoviantrish Avatar
    whoviantrish

    Here are my answers from yesterday. I promis I haven’t peeked at the answers. And that will probably be obvious because Disney fried my brain so I’ll most likely get most of them wrong.

    1. What can you put in a wooden box that would make it lighter? The more of them you put in the lighter it becomes, yet the box stays empty.
    ANS: Um.. candles? What? I don’t know.

    2. Which side of a cat contains the most hair?
    ANS: The outside. I think.

    3. Why can’t a man living in Canterbury be buried west of the River Stour?
    ANS: Well.. he could be but that would be murder. Why bury a living man?

    4. Is it legal for a man to marry his widow’s sister?
    ANS: Uh my great-grandfather’s wife died. He married her sister. I guess it’s legal.

    5. If you drove a coach leaving Canterbury with 35 passengers, dropped off 6 and picked up 2 at Faversham, picked up 9 more at Sittingbourne, dropped off 3 at Chatham, and then drove on to arrive in London 40 minutes later, what colour are the driver’s eyes?
    ANS: I’m not sure. I’m the driver and I’m not sure what color my eyes are. Sometimes blue, sometimes green. Anyone havea mirror?

    6. A window cleaner is cleaning the windows on the 25th floor of a skyscraper, when he slips and falls. He is not wearing a safety harness and nothing slows his fall, yet he suffered no injuries. Explain.
    ANS: Maybe he was inside the building cleaning the window.

    7. John’s mother has 3 children, one is named April, one is named May. What is the third one named?
    ANS: John

    8. A man and his son were in a car crash. The father was killed and the son was taken to hospital with serious injuries. The examining doctor exclaims: “But, this is my son!”.
    How can this be?
    ANS: The doctor is the MOTHER.. Duh.

    9. You have to choose between three rooms.
    The first is full of raging fires
    The second is full of tigers that haven’t eaten in 3 years.
    The third is full of assassins with loaded machine guns.
    Which room should you choose?
    ANS: The kitchen

    10. Three of the glasses below are filled with orange juice and the other three are empty. By moving just one glass, can you arrange the glasses so that the full and empty glasses alternate?
    ANS: Yes

    OK… those are my answers.

    Now.. about Stargate. I’m in love with Stargate. I specifically love SG-1 and SGA. My hope is, even if there is no tie-in with the television franchise they’ll do such an excellent job on the movie that it will reach a broader audience like Star Trek has. I’m just worried because in the movie, the gate only goes to Abydos. That’s a little boring now that I’ve got all the galaxy to play around in with SG-1, SGA and SGU. But I’ll watch those movies. How can I not? I have seen EVERYTHING Stargate. WATCH ALL THE STARGATE!

    ~~~Trish

    Reply
  7. kabra Avatar
    kabra

    Cameos would be great. “. I don’t think it would be right to judge the movie before the director has had a chance to show what he can do after all this time.” I agree with you Randomness,tho, I have feeling it’s gonna be weak, cameos would give it more substance. Look how well Carter mixed in and added to SGA. It was more than just a Gate.

    Speaking of Atlantis, has anyone seen Atlantis on BBC America??

    Reply
  8. Bailey Avatar
    Bailey

    Still not happy about the reboot. And if it doesn’t have Joe Flanigan as Sheppard and David Hewlett as McKay I’m not interested in the least. The only thing left that keeps me invested in this franchise is to someday see what happened to Atlantis. Otherwise I’ll just follow the actors at cons and in other shows.

    Reply
  9. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    I don’t know. The truth is, I didn’t really like the original movie. It was utterly forgettable for me. Then my husband introduced me to the tv show and I was like “Whaaa–?!” and I fell in love with *that* Jack O’Neill and SG1. So… idk. Maybe the movies will be good, but I have mixed emotions. I don’t know if I’ll shell out cash to go see a reboot of a movie I didn’t really think was that spectacular to begin with. I only like the original movie because it set off the series.

    Reply
  10. Mike from Canada Avatar
    Mike from Canada

    I’d be happier if JJ Abrams was doing the movie. I did enjoy Stargate the movie, but after watching the various series I came to like those even more.

    But clearly Emmerich has done a lot of great movies.
    And Devlin, did anyone know Godzilla was a cartoon series? When did that happen?

    At the end of the day, Stargate as a vehicle is just too good to leave alone, it has too much potential to leave the rights sitting on a shelf. The possibilities are endless. I wish them lots of luck and I’m really looking forward to it. I hope I don’t die before I get to watch the trilogy. Perhaps the second in the series will show in time for the 2018 James Webb Space Telescope. That would be awesome.

    Reply
  11. Jen Draves Avatar
    Jen Draves

    I would say that I am torn between the 3 but if I had my choice: Rodney McKay (David Hewlett). He so owns that character!!!!! 🙂

    Reply
  12. maggiemayday Avatar
    maggiemayday

    I am sure the new StarGate movies will be flashy, entertaining, and fun. They will not be SG-1 or SGA, or even SGU. Most likely I will enjoy them, but my heart will be a tiny bit broken. Or maybe more than a tiny bit.

    I know an SGU movie is beyond hope, but I want to know what the hell happened. I am almost ready to turn to fanfic, but…nope. That would just be tragic. Or pornographic, euw.

    Reply
  13. 2cats Avatar
    2cats

    As I just said at the end of yesterday’s entry… I am excited that this new film trilogy will bring the Stargate name and universe back to us. I’m grateful to MGM and all others involved who made this decision and hope they truly recognize Stargate as a great idea that should continue.

    On the other hand, I am bothered that apparently the efforts of a great many in creating the 3 TV series, all of that work and wonderfulness, will be ignored for these films. Joe is right. Emerich & co. had better keep the loyal fanbase in mind and not just aim to please a new generation.

    Look, I have joyfully followed all things Stargate for many years now and it seems right to continue to support the idea of Stargate reborn. So I will try not to pre-judge and give the films a chance to amaze me anew. But waiting until 2016 for the 1st film, geez… I’m not getting any younger.
    At this rate, I could be on Medicare by the time the 2nd film releases.

    Hoping for the best and the return of true magic of the gate!
    2cats

    Reply
  14. Douglas Alvarado Avatar
    Douglas Alvarado

    I don´t think i would like a reboot… i liked the Original movie but SG-1 and SG Atlantis established a great and solid mythology. I don´t think they´ll make enough profit for a trilogy. As far as i read interviews to Emmerich, he really dislike SG-1 and SG-A, so i don´t think a cameo would be possible.

    Reply
  15. Liz Avatar
    Liz

    Very mixed feelings. I loved Dean Devlin’s work on the show Leverage. And I’m looking forward to his new series The Librarians. But…I never cared for the Stargate movie. It was only with the SG1 series that I developed a real passion for the story. I fell in love with the characters as you guys wrote them, and as Richard Dean Anderson, Michael Shanks and the rest of the actors portrayed them. So, the thought of the Stargate universe reimagined actually makes me a little sad, if that makes sense? What I’m seeing online from many fans is along these lines – they loved the world you all created with the TV series and that’s the story they would rather see continued. But, we shall see how it goes.

    Some time ago you wrote about the possibility of the Stargate Atlantis movie coming out as a graphic novel. Anything further on that? I would certainly love to see that!

    Reply
  16. arcticgoddess Avatar
    arcticgoddess

    With Emmerich at the helm, I do not have much hope for a great movie threesome. If the film, “2012” is anything to go by, there will be awesome special effects, lots of action and plot holes big enough to drive a Goa’uld Mothership through. Emmerich is not a good writer.

    Reply
  17. Paul Tenny Avatar
    Paul Tenny

    I’d rather see the money spent on original content, but I’m looking forward to this. I really enjoy Dean and Roland’s work.

    Reply
  18. Wesley Morrison Avatar
    Wesley Morrison

    I’m happy there’s a reboot. A reboot from Emmerich and Devlin, though, not as much. Of course, I’d be happy with a microbudget movie that just had Young and Rush together in a room for two hours, so I doubt I’m the audience MGM is going for with the reboot.

    Plus, I’m now having images of John Cusack as Jack O’Neill and Jeff Goldblum as Daniel Jackson.

    Reply
  19. IggyMing Avatar
    IggyMing

    I have to be honest… I am completely hearbroken that there is a new Stargate movie helmed by Devlin and Emmerich. I imagine that they are going to completely avoid the history/canon/characters of the TV series. I suppose that some people will say that a new Stargate in some form is better than none at all, but this isn’t the version of Stargate that I want.

    I didn’t really enjoy the original movie (much to my surprise, because it has all of the elements I normally like… a mix of science fiction, archaeology, and military adventure). I fell in love with Stargate via Wright and Cooper’s SG1. The characters, wonderfully portrayed by Amanda, RDA, Michael, and Chris, sealed the deal. RDA’s Jack O’Neill is brilliant; the O’Neil developed by Devlin/Emmerich, not so much.

    As a fan of the series, I feel it’s rather disrespectful of MGM to ignore 10+ years of SG1/SGA/SGU by having a movie that is not connected at all to the series. Also, I wonder why MGM would go this route… just from reading fan comments, the reaction is very mixed. It’s a controversial movie, and therefore financially risky…. wouldn’t it be a safer bet to have a movie that most fans would want… a movie that continues from the TV series, starring the actors from the series?

    And finally, if anyone knows of a way to contact MGM to let them know my opinion (if they even care at this point), please share.

    Reply
  20. gforce Avatar
    gforce

    A few things concern me about this whole idea. The Stargate movie had a few significant issues as a standalone movie – I excused it mostly because it was a lead in to the series that I loved, so I’m not that convinced of the ability of these guys to carry off three successful movies. Also I remember either Emmerlich or one of the original creators saying the they didn’t care for the series treatment at all, so I would be pretty (pleasantly) shocked of there was any tie in. (Perhaps I’m misremembering that.)

    The thing about the fans is that I’m not convinced there IS a new set of fans out there waiting to be discovered. The new Star Trek films had the advantage of a HUGE fan base plus almost universal non-fan name recognition. If these movies are unable to bring in at least a sizable percentage of the series fan base, i think they’ll be in trouble.

    So, it’s a big wait and see for me. I want to be optimistic, and I suspect I’ll still go to the movies, but…

    Reply
  21. gforce Avatar
    gforce

    From Wikipedia:

    “Stargate was originally planned as the first in a film franchise. However, the pair became involved in other projects (Independence Day, Godzilla, etc.), and abandoned Stargate. Emmerich and Devlin do not consider Stargate SG-1 a valid continuation of their film.”

    I guess I remembered correctly. Unfortunately.

    Reply
  22. Peter Avatar
    Peter

    Cautiously optimistic is the best way to put it for me.

    I liked the original movie all right, but it gave me no desire to see the series. Serieses. A couple of coworkers told me how awesome SGA was so I tried it one Friday night and thought, “Hey, this isn’t bad!” Then another co-worker loaned me her entire 10-season set of SG-1 and I thought, “This is good television. What have I been missing out on.”

    So overall, I’m disappointed that I don’t have more of what you guys brought me, but something is better than nothing.

    Reply
  23. JeffW Avatar
    JeffW

    On the Stargate Reboot, I’ll take a wait and see attitude. Reboots sometimes seem to miss some element of the originals…so I’m at best a little dubious. The new Star Trek reboot is flashy, but it’s lost some of its camaraderie. The Get Smart movie reboot? Not even close on the chemistry. The new Mission Impossible? Block busters I’m sure, but do you remember any of them?

    I’m hoping the Stargate reboot is good, and I have hope since the Godzilla reboot was well done. I’ll have to wait and see…hopefully Joe will at least be a creative consultant on the project? Fingers crossed and prayers issued!

    On the home away from home front, Barb and I took our RV to a nearby state park to de-winterize it, but nothing came easy. First off, I had a last minute conference call that delayed our departure a couple of hours, and then during the setup (after I turned the water supply to the camper on), I went in and found water spraying all over the bathroom. A faucet valve gave way and was spraying water up to the ceiling! I immediately tried to clasp my hand over it and yelled to Barbara to turn off the water. She didn’t know what was going on and was preoccupied with something else so it was a little like an I Love Lucy sketch:

    Me: “Turn off the water!”
    Barb, who is outside setting up chairs: “Turn it off yourself! You’re inside!”
    Me, getting desperate: “I can’t! It’s spraying everywhere! Turn it off out there…now!”
    Barb, still working at setting up chairs: “But there’s no shut off valve on the outside of the camper. What are you talking about? You’re not making sense!”
    Me, as water is spraying in my eyes and mouth: “burlurp! Mmmph! Just shut the water off at the spigot!!!”
    I’m now in the process of trying to hold my hand tightly over the broken valve (which is mostly jetting water all over me out of the side of my hand), while with my other hand I’m turning on the bathtub faucet in an attempt to bring the water pressure down and reduce the spray.
    Barb, outside the camper, walks slowly over to the spigot 50 feet away (still not know what’s going on inside the camper) and about a minute and a half after it all started, the water was finally shut off. I was soaked, the floor is flooded, water spray is covering everything in the bathroom, and I can’t see anything because of the water spray coating my glasses.

    I didn’t laugh then, but it’s funny to me now. 😀

    We spent most of the early evening putting towels on the floor, running to an RV parts place for a new faucet and then replacing the broken one. Everything’s cleaned up (although the carpet’s still damp in spots) and I’ve sprayed mold blocker in all the areas that could cause problems later on. We also had the fan running and the windows open, so things dried up pretty quickly.

    Tomorrow night we’ll have a cookout and campfire, and it should be smooth sailing by then …

    Uh oh.

    Reply
  24. Jenny Horn Avatar
    Jenny Horn

    I am ecstatic about the reboot but was afraid to be so demonstrative until just now. I didn’t want you or any of the other fine people involved with the TV series to think that I/we are dumping our love of the series for the films. Not that I have any influence offer what you all think or feel…….

    Reply
  25. Geggles Avatar
    Geggles

    Very very happy, just hope they stay true to the tv series established canon and don’t try to change it too much for the new generation.

    Reply
  26. Chris L. Avatar
    Chris L.

    If it wasn’t for the distain that those two had shown for the Stargate TV series, I’d be a little more excited… but since they have I’m not very excited…

    I’ve seen the Stargate movie, even watched it at the Theatre (man I’m getting old), but I can’t rewatch it like I can the TV series.

    Hopefully it will breath life back into OUR Stargate .. You gotta have hopes and dreams right?

    Reply
  27. sparced Avatar
    sparced

    The problem for me is that SG1 is what really made the movie into something bigger and I really question whether the original creators understand that. SG1 added so much depth to the characters and story.

    I think I would rather have a fresh reboot in the hands of someone well known but not directly associated with the previous incarnations. In this case, Emmerich and Devlin may get too stuck on the original movie concept. Emmerich’s previously directed movies don’t give a whole lot of confidence either.

    I’m not that optimistic and will watch when they hit cable tv.

    Reply
  28. Sarah C Avatar
    Sarah C

    I will almost undoubtedly watch any new movie, and I hope it (they) do well, but I haven’t forgotten Emmerich and Devlin’s somewhat hypocritical position on the series – they seem to want to take credit for the strong fandom that the series created (a single movie from the 90’s could never have built that) and yet pretend the whole universe the series created never existed, as if it was the dirty snotty nosed stepchild to be kept away from polite society. A little more grace and generosity in their public statements would go a long way – in practical terms, as you said in your 2013 entry, alienating the fan base isn’t a great way to start. My cautious enthusiasm is tempered by cynicism!

    Reply
  29. Ponytail Avatar
    Ponytail

    I’m getting in the “cautiously optimistic” line too. Wait and see.

    Reply
  30. Kriss Harmsworth Avatar
    Kriss Harmsworth

    I am going to just see what happens. Being a Star Trek fan I have been through the wringer over the years. The latest reboots I can’t watch at all. I have watched the series since ’69 so don’t mess with my original characters! 😀 I know that in a way TPTB messed with O’Neill but as RDA said they had to really as he was a movie character rather than a series character. Don’t get me wrong I love the original movie but to make it a series it did need some small changes to make it work.

    Kriss 🙂

    Reply
  31. Kevin Avatar
    Kevin

    This makes me soo happy!!!!! Life just isn’t the same without a stargate up and running somewhere! Hooray! !!!!!!!!!! Sent from Huawei Mobile

    Reply
  32. Laura H Avatar
    Laura H

    I have a GREAT idea! Since Emmerich and Devlin are apparently so busy with the ID4 sequel, they could hire you, Paul, Brad, Rob, Martin etc. to do the actual writing (which incidentally has already been done for a good part) and producing, which not only guarantees a great series-canon trilogy, but also a release date in the nearer future instead of way past 2016.

    *hint hint*

    I’m with most here: mixed feelings, but at the moment scepticism rules over optimism… If they completely ignore series canon, then I might still enjoy the movies somewhat, but it won’t be Stargate, despite the actual stargate.

    Reply
  33. xvCAT Avatar
    xvCAT

    Very good news. I hope the crew who made Stargate great through the series can take part in this ‘reboot’.

    Reply
  34. Nola Shingledecker Avatar
    Nola Shingledecker

    I

    Reply
  35. Line Noise Avatar
    Line Noise

    I was a huge fan of the movie long before I bothered sitting down to watch the TV series which I felt sullied my memories of the movie. Of course, I ended up loving the TV series but, in my mind, the movie and TV series are different things. I treat them as standalone versions of the story. Much like the different incarnations of The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy.

    So I’m looking forward to the reboot. The Stargate premise is such a great idea and I can’t wait to see what they do with it.

    Reply
  36. Tam Dixon Avatar
    Tam Dixon

    It would be great to have, at least, a cameo of past Stargate characters. Do you know who the writers are going to be?

    Yes, those brain teasers yesterday were fun! Thanks again for that.

    I saw this on the web and thought I’d share: https://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/advisor/the-32-words-that-used-incorrectly-can-make-you-look-bad-161319699.html

    Has anyone been watching Dalziel and Pascoe on PBS? I’m really enjoying the series and love that the lead actor is not Hollywood perfect. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalziel_and_Pascoe_(BBC_TV_series)

    JeffW: I’m glad your plumbing adventure turned out ok! You tell a good story.

    Reply
  37. Ava Avatar
    Ava

    Mixed feelings. Like many others, became a fan of the series before I ever watched the original movie. It was a good movie, but I enjoyed the series world and characters much more. I am happy Stargate is getting noticed again. It worries me that Emmerich is on public record talking about how much he disliked the series. I’m concerned that his desire to revisit Stargate is to “fix” what those people did to “his” story. (Quotes for emphasis). He didn’t want to have anything to do with a television series, so he’s the one that walked away. To me, they want to cash in on the success and popularity of the franchise but make it over in their image with total disregard to the fans.

    Reply
  38. Dave Simpson Avatar
    Dave Simpson

    I’m not happy about the reboot, especially not when I know there are actually scripts written and sitting on a shelf at MGM somewhere for movies based on SG-1 and Atlantis. And another thing that bothers me is that it won’t be a reboot in the vein of Star Trek. Love or hate JJ Abrahms’ Star Trek, it used the same characters and mythology established by the original continuity to add a sense of familiarity to proceedings. This isn’t going to be putting a new spin on the established continuity of the three TV series, it’s going to disregard it completely. Probably at most, the only link we can expect is another version of Jack and Daniel. Other than that there’ll be no reimagined Goa’uld, Ori, Wraith, Ancients etc. I have a horrible feeling it’s going to feel like they plucked the title device out of the franchise we’ve all come to know and love and inserted it into something completely alien (no pun intended) and unrecognisable, without even the most subtle of nods to SG-1, Atlantis or Universe. For all intents and purposes, it seems to me that this isn’t a reboot, it’s a complete remake. As it stands I find it extremely difficult to get behind that as someone who has was glued to all incarnations of the series right from the moment SG-1 premiered.

    Reply
  39. Mike from Canada Avatar
    Mike from Canada

    Peter said: “…but something is better than nothing.”

    Exactly.
    Both men have a lot of work under their belts so I’m going to be hopeful. And it’s always possible that a trilogy can lead to yet another TV series. Besides, I doubt MGM is allowing them to do whatever they want. I’m sure MGM will have someone putting in their two cents. That might not be a good thing.

    Devlin-Emmerich also have a huge library of ideas from not only the Stargate series and movies but books and other movies. They could even choose to do a time travel thing and reboot the series like Abrams did for Star Trek.

    “Ah, Sir, the worm hole passed through a solar flare, we’ve traveled back in time!”
    “MY GOD! To when?”
    “You won’t believe this sir. All the way back to…. Yesterday morning!”
    “Oh. Well, good. The eggs Benedict I had for breakfast were terrible. I’m going to try waffles this time.”

    See the possibilities?

    I would hate to see fans getting upset and badmouthing something that doesn’t even exist yet. Something is better then nothing. and it takes a long time to make a movie, never mind three. A lot could happen, including the creation of some really great movies that could do wonders for a new series. Or angry fans could write in and MGM might shelve the movies in favor of nothing.

    I don’t think we should be angry that Emmerich wants to finish a story that he created. It was his vision. Hopefully he can do an even better job of the new movies.

    Perhaps one day Stargate can catch up to Star Trek in terms of number of hours in movies and TV, and I can watch them all in the old folks home.

    Reply
  40. Ponytail Avatar
    Ponytail

    One thing is for sure, Emmerich and Devlin will have a lot more eyes watching what they do this time, than they had with the first movie. If they screw it over too much, there could be hell to pay with the Stargate loyal fans.

    Reply
  41. dklandeande Avatar
    dklandeande

    Personally I’m not really interested in these movies. The original Stargate movie was mediocre at best. It had it’s moments but without the TV shows it would probably have been long forgotten. The thing that made the Stargate franchise great where the TV shows, not the movie.The shows gave it substance and a rich universe to draw from.
    Also I’m pretty fed up with all those stupid reboots, where nothing you’ve ever watched means anything anymore as it’s all just forgotten as if it never happened. What good is building 40 years worth of stories in 10 movies and 700 episodes in a rich and exciting universe if you just wipe it away? (Star Trek). What good is a huge expanded universe that continues your stories officially if you just declare it all invalid just because you want to make movies that contradict it? (Star Wars) What good are 18 years of storybuilding, great arcs and characters if you just ignore it all, throw everything you have away and start over with the least good parts you have? (Stargate)
    No. I don’t want these movies. I also don’t want any cast members to do a cameo because I want the REAL Stargate franchise to stay as far away from this as possible. And I want stupid execs to stop wasting decades of storytelling.
    Apparently the british are the only ones who do understand this. Even though it was away for 16 years in total and revived twice – Doctor Who is still Doctor Who. No big red reboot button. Sure the stories are probably the biggest mess, or should I say timey-wimey-wibbly-wobbly stuff. But the show never rebooted. It changed a lot. It unfolded the timelime and put it back together again more times than anyone can count. BUT even the very first episode from 1963 is still as valid as the latest 2013 Christmas special and will continue to be so in the coming season. THAT is what I want. For Star Trek. For Star Wars. And for Stargate. Not another stupid reboot, PLEASE.

    Reply
  42. Carl Avatar
    Carl

    Don’t know if I’ll go to a movie theater to see the movies. Personally I prefer that they add new episodes/movies to the current SG series, a new series or a reboot of the series than the movie trilogies.

    Reply
  43. Randomness Avatar
    Randomness

    Slightly offtopic, it was interesting watching a live feed of The Amazing Race 25s starting line thing. They had it at 3am in Times Square in New York today, there seemed to be quite a lot of people there too as they invited the general public to come on down. The first destination seems to mirror Season 1, I think its meant to commemorate something. Also it looks like they’ve got a Survivor couple, a known one too, I’m not a fan of that series, just saw the talk.

    Reply
  44. Debra From The South Avatar
    Debra From The South

    Excited to have anything stargate…. but sad they feel the need to sort of dismiss the tv series. OTOH, I was livid about Star Trek reboot, and ended up loving it.

    Reply
  45. dipsofjazz Avatar
    dipsofjazz

    Hi Joe, you mention ‘the stewardship of Brad Wright and Robert Cooper’, but surely it was Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner that started SG-1, not Cooper?

    Reply
    1. Joseph Mallozzi Avatar
      Joseph Mallozzi

      In truth, MANY people were responsible for the success of the franchise but I chose Brad and Robert because they oversaw production (thus my use of the word “stewardship”) through many years and all three incarnations.

      Reply
  46. Duptiang Avatar
    Duptiang

    Having recently watched the Movie “Stargate,” I thought the series started out quite faithfully to the movie. In fact I was surprised to see some of the original cast join the series. It would be nature that over the course of 10 years that the broadcast series would take twist and turns not seen by the movie’s creators, perhaps jealousy and a lack of creative imagination. With the impute of so many writers and producers it would only be nature to see other creations. I have been surprise and how independent writer can meld their stories into the gestalt of the series, writers who admitted not seeing the series or knowing much about it. It will be interesting to see if Emmerich et al. do for SG what George Lucas did for StarWars, or not.

    I thought Mike Shanks’ adaptation stayed faithful to the original character. RDA had a strong serious and dark side like that of Kirk Russle, but of course RDA was able to embellish, fill and build in more of the personality over the course of the life of SG.

    I am about 100 pages to the finish of the latest book “Evening’s Empire” and looking forward to the book club discussion. How are you doing? Oh Joe I see you put “Authority” by Jeff Vandermeer on your recently read list. How did you like it and did it help you understand more of “Annihilation?”

    Reply
  47. Shuth Avatar
    Shuth

    I’m taking a cautious “wait and see” approach. While I love everything that is Stargate, I would have preferred a continuation of one of the existing series (or at least a new series/movie set to series canon). As someone mentioned above, the series are considered non-canon to the original movie to the directors.

    Reply
  48. fsmn36 Avatar
    fsmn36

    I will no doubt see it, but I am bitter that it’s getting a reboot instead of a SGA movie/6th season. Or, as many others mentioned, without at least some nod to the TV shows in canon. Even if it was something ala the Star Trek reboot (time travel or a visit from Mensa!John or something). It’s just hard, knowing that the Goa’uld have been beaten, but in this reboot they won’t have. For me, this reboot trilogy will be the alternate universe, not the TV ‘verse.

    Reply
  49. Sara Avatar
    Sara

    Amazing news rebooting Stargate film with a new trilogy!

    I don’t know what is about the new story of trilogy movies, but in my oppinion, I suppose the first movie it will be similar to de pilot episode of Stargate SG1…

    I don’t know if Emmerich and Devlin will continue with goa’uld as a alien race, or if they surprise us with a new type of alien race, but nowadays with new technologies about digital special effects, I am sure they will surprise us.

    Also, I would like to see on trilogy some characters from Stargate tv series, and if it would be possible all the cast and crew from Stargate series, they can work together in this new trilogy, but we must to wait till we can see the new movies, while “we are dialing the Stargate”.

    On the other hand, I am sure it will be impossible to avoid comparing the trilogy movies with fanchise tv series.

    Reply
  50. Buddy Glenn Avatar
    Buddy Glenn

    This reboot will have nothing to do with the TV series. This is the Stargate I love: the one you and the rest of the TV crew did. There will be no cameos or any kind of mention of the small screen characters. Devlin and Emmerich’s Stargate film was their property, and MGM gave the TV series to other people (Wright, Cooper, Glassner, etc.). They were never happy about that. Unfortunately for Devlin and Emmerich, the TV shows made Stargate into a real franchise, not their standalone movie. The reboot may do OK, but there will be a lot of comparison that they will have to deal with. It will not be that easy to win over two decades worth of TV fans, whose hearts are still heartbroken over the cancellation of SGA and SGU and the promises of more TV movies.

    Reply
  51. bjmaxvin67 Avatar
    bjmaxvin67

    Hi Joseph,

    I find the news of Roland Emmerich directing a new Stargate movie reboot very depressing mainly because I was truly hoping and wanting a continuation of the Stargate TV mythology and history, with the TV characters, actors and/ or at least another series with some of the original SG-1, Atlantis and Universe characters making guest appearances. Instead they will ignore the things that made this franchise so great and while the original film was good it will never be as great as what was created for television. All our beloved characters and story arcs will be thrown away so they can start over because they are rebooting the franchise and honestly I wonder why MGM would allow it. The original movie didn’t really do all that well, at least not by today’s standards and the shows all performed quite well with fairly large audiences tuning in each week to see the new episodes. So to just erase everything that happened in the TV universe seems a little drastic. But overall it just seems like a slap in the face to the fans of the Stargate television franchise. I was happy to hear SyFy wanting to distance itself from Bad monster movies and return to its genre roots and was hoping to see them resurrect Stargate in some form. They already have a core base following that would return to Syfy to watch a new Stargate television series; but upon hearing about MGM green lighting new Stargate reboot movie I will always feel MGM has turned their backs on a very loyal fan base. I guess for any new Stargate stories based on the television series I will continue to read Stargate fanfiction stories

    Reply
  52. Mike A. Avatar
    Mike A.

    I’m in the “mixed” group as well. I can see it from all sides. (Warning: Random thoughts strung together coming up!)

    It was their baby to begin with. They probably regret letting go of or not pursuing the TV rights, given the legs the franchise had. I don’t think they’ll address or even use any of the TV canon. To do so would handicap it from the start seeing as how they’d most likely want the broadest appeal to the most people and most North Americans have NO idea as to the canon the TV show established. Honestly, if ANYONE were to do a reboot that was purposely not involved with the TV series, who better to do it than the two who originally came up with the idea?

    Then again, 17 seasons of TV is hard to ignore. It’d be hard not to acknowledge that in some way without pissing off the diehards, though. The new Star Treks are fun and all, but even to me(a moderate ST fan), they’re a bit of a travesty with that whole alternate timeline crap and how it kind of “castrates” not only the rest of the movies but TOS. Don’t even get me started on the second one.

    Personally, I hope they leave the TV canon alone, but in a way that preserves it. Seeing as how so much time has passed since the original, I don’t see a way they can use the same main characters, unless it IS a straight up reboot. If it’s not, then using Kurt Russell and James Spader might be out of the question. Perhaps do a story in the likes of “The Torment of Tantalus” where we follow a team(not just a guy) that went through the gate in the 40’s or 50’s and got stranded. They meet up with friends and enemies and have the ensuing battles and what not, but also figure out a way to get the gate working, not knowing if they’re dialing Earth or not. I also hope they use David Arnold again as composer. Perhaps bring along Neal Acree for the added nice touch.

    I can see them doing the “spirit” of Stargate justice, just not the TV series. I’ll be surprised and extremely happy if they incorporate and/or acknowledge the TV franchise in some way, but I’m not expecting it.

    There’s STILL nothing new in Hollywood.

    -Mike A.

    Reply
  53. Vickie Avatar
    Vickie

    Aw. Honestly, I thought the original movie was horribly corny, and because of that I didn’t watch SG-1 for the first few years. When I happened to catch it by chance, I became addicted. I want movies based off the TV shows!

    Reply
    1. DKlande Avatar
      DKlande

      @Vickie You’re absolutely right. Same for me. I wasn’t a big fan of the movie and didn’t actually watch SG-1 in the beginning because of it.
      Later when they started Stargate Atlantis I started watching that because I was always fascinated by the legend of Atlantis. Well SGA got me and I became addicted. Since I had to wait for newer episodes all the time I started catching up on the mother series SG-1 and became addicted to that as well.

      So for me: New movies by the makers of the original movies? No, thanks.
      New episodes of the existing series (SGU particularly), new series or movies based on the TV franchise? Shut up and take my money! I’ll go the cinema, watch on TV AND buy the Blu-rays, whatever you give me. Just try to get the original producers like Joseph Mallozzi back 😉

      Reply
  54. adrparkinson Avatar
    adrparkinson

    @ Mike A

    “Perhaps do a story in the likes of “The Torment of Tantalus” where we follow a team(not just a guy) that went through the gate in the 40′s or 50′s and got stranded.”

    That’s a story I’ve wanted for a long time. The way I imagined it was a series set around 1940 or so with an old-fashioned version of the SGC. In my humble little opinion it could be very cool. The image that I always have is Spitfires vs death gliders. Who wouldn’t want to see that?

    Reply
  55. Kimberley Jackson Avatar
    Kimberley Jackson

    I have been wondering for a while if it wouldn’t be possible to release the script for the third SG movie (which was originally planned, and for which apparently there was already a first draft including a dinner scene between O’Neill and Carter 😉 ) as a novelization.
    With the reboot, I think it is hightly unlikely that we will ever see that movie… but just have a novel writer turn it into a book; maybe even a triology if you wanna make lots of money with it.

    But at least that way we fans would get it… Pleeeease!!! (Yep, at this point I am not above begging anymore…)

    Reply
  56. PBMom Avatar
    PBMom

    I’m willing to see the first movie. I have often been surprised at my refusal to see something strictly on my own prejudices and biases, to be glad I looked past them. For example, Battlestar Galactica. Rabid fan of the original, Was bashing it until I saw it. Saw it and was completely converted immediately into a fan. Also Star Trek. JJ Abrams was able to take the franchise down a different path by putting an alternate timeline in there. Not as much as fan of the 2nd film as I was the 1st one, but I’ll see #3. And…ta-da….Stargate. I was so flipping mad that SciFi gave up Farscape to buy Stargate that I refused to watch it. For quite a long time. But my heart softened when I caught a few episodes on SciFi because there was nothing else on and I had it on as background noise. So glad I had a change of heart in that case, too. So I will hold on to my preconceptions, actually go see it, and then let you know if I liked it or not.

    Reply
  57. Daniel Jackson Avatar
    Daniel Jackson

    I loved it! All, from movie(Stargate) to Universe! A reboot? May be better, or, worse, but I think it will worth it. BUT, I think, SGU MUST go on, as not a “only a ship show” but as a Hope for humanity as all humans (in the universe – not by country, planet, allegiance etc) should be. I realised that this show is’nt about “few man and girls” walking in the galaxy or universe, IT IS about US, AS A RACE in this vast universe and we MUST behave as humans and not as animals. Why? Allow me to quote from SG1 series Jack O’Neill Asgard encounter: “Sorry for not being so evolved, but we are here. And we are courious by nature”. The Fifth Race – SG1. And for that, SGU was a masterpiece. It showed that Not all things are resolved with guns, but with intelligence and what is needed to be human – ANYWHERE in this universe.
    Sorry, english isn’t my native language.

    Reply
  58. Rukus Avatar
    Rukus

    At least it’s not Abrams doing it …

    I’d actually prefer more of the TV-Stargateverse. One or two movies about kicking the Wraith out of Pegasus, uncovering more techstuff from Atlantis (maybe to get in touch with Destiny?), and (on top) of cause more about Destinys destiny. Actually it would be cool as well to have another spin-off about a ship, being build with atlantean tech (see above) and the new asgardian goodies, on a rescue mission for the Destiny. Well, it could also be a SGU-dual-show, where the events on Destiny and “SG-Voyager” (*gg*) would be presented within one show. Like the different settings of Game of Thrones or so.

    If I had to decide: 3 movies (about 6-7 hours total) or a renewed tv-show (about 14 hours per season) – guess my choice! ;p

    Plus! The three movies will be typical action boomboom of the Hollywood-Emmerich-type. It’s okay, but why a franchise that has evolved so much? Put something new on the big screen. About 99% of all those remakes, reboots, sequels and prequels are disappointing.

    Rethink, Roland!

    Reply
  59. William Avatar
    William

    Season 6 of Atlantis/Extinction>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>(infinite times) Rebbot of Stargate by Roland Emmerich…

    Reply

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