29.Aug.07
Posted in Atlantis at 8:25 pm by michelle
Joe Mallozzi revealed in his blog entry for today that Jodelle Ferland, who played 7-year old Adria in the SG-1 Season 10 episode Flesh and Blood, will play the young princess Harmony in the 4th season Atlantis episode also called Harmony. Joe was on location during filming and had this to say about Jodelle:
What can I say? She’s an incredibly talented young lady eho is doing a fantastic job as little Harmony. Her character, McKay, and Sheppard play wonderfully off one another, and the fun between these three continues long after the scene has been shot.
Joe also revealed hints about what Sheppard, McKay, and Harmony face as they fight Genii while trying to fulfill Harmony’s mission at a sacred temple. The adventure includes: a walk and talk at sunrise, a bridge scene, a power bar scene, a search scene, and a visual effects (green screen) scene. He also said there will be true night shooting on the forest location.
Thanks to Joe for providing this daily grist for the fandom mill. 
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Posted in Atlantis, Press Watch, SG-1 at 6:53 am by DeeKayP
Introduction
TV Guide’s Ileane Rudolph caught up with Michael Shanks at the end of his time off with his family to talk about his upcoming role in Sci Fi Channel’s top-rated original program Eureka, his possible appearances in Stargate Atlantis, and his upcoming project Rage of Angels. They also talked about the two direct-to-DVD movies, Stargate: The Ark of Truth and Stargate: Continuum, and the possibility of more of these movies to come.
There are plot spoilers for the Stargate movies and Eureka in the following:
The Ark of Truth
The two direct-to-DVD movies cost about $14 million to make, which gave the cast and crew the opportunity to tell “bigger” stories than in television episodes. Not only did composer Joel Goldsmith have the opportunity to include an orchestra in his soundtracks, but producers Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper were given more budget for visual effects (which were part of the reason for a delay in the release of the movies until 2008). Shanks commented, “We had a way bigger budget than we ever did for the series, so the action scenes will be that much better.”
As far as the wrapping up of the Ori storyline in Robert C. Cooper’s The Ark of Truth, Shanks was a little more enthusiastic about the outcome than in previous interviews when he told Rudolph, “And the fans will definitely be happy with the way we wrap up the series in The Ark of Truth. It reintroduces our villains that we created during the last two years, and we deal with them in a very climactic way. It’s a good payoff.”
Continuum
Brad Wright’s Stargate: Continuum will be a stand-alone SG-1 movie, the first of many that MGM’s Charlie Cohen hopes will contribute to a profitable future for the Stargate franchise. Shanks stated, “The impression we got from Charlie Cohen, who’s the head of MGM Television, was that he wanted more right away. We definitely got the feeling that this was not the end of the road, which is a very positive thing for those of us who enjoy that environment so much and enjoy the company so much.”
Shanks describes the plot of the movie: “It’s an alternate-timeline story. One of our remaining villains goes back in time and changes our future so the Stargate program is out of the equation. It’s up to Mitchell (Ben Browder), Carter (Amanda Tapping) and Daniel Jackson to try to put the timeline right. But the people existing in that other time don’t want to change and won’t let us do it.”
As far as what is in store for Daniel in the Arctic scenes, Shanks has mentioned in other interviews how Brad Wright changed the story to account for Daniel’s absence while Shanks was filming his three episodes on Fox’s hit series 24 during the crew’s trip to the Arctic. In this interview, Shanks explains the logistics of filming some of the Arctic scenes in refrigerated stages in Vancouver: “We did end up building a frozen ship and part of an Arctic flow in a frozen soundstage in Vancouver. The temperatures in there were minus 7 (19 Fahrenheit) so we didn’t have to act that much because it was cold! As much as everybody raved about their Arctic experience, I was happy not to go, and happy that they brought the Arctic to me!”
Eureka
Shanks talks a little about how his wife Lexa Doig (Stargate’s Dr. Carolyn Lam) got the part for her episode of Eureka and then how he got his. Because they have three children at home, the two actors like to alternate working schedules so that one of them is home while the other is working. Doig filmed a separate episode of Eureka, “Maneater”, which will premiere on the Sci Fi Channel on Tuesday, September 18. Shanks’ episode, “All That Glitters”, will premiere the following week, on September 25.
Rudolf asked Shanks to describe his role of Christopher Dactylos in the show. “He’s an artist who works in metals, who got fired from Global Dynamics because he and [the former boss] Nathan didn’t see eye to eye. He sculpted a statue of Pythagoras that mysteriously one day turns to gold from bronze. Then other things start turning to gold and they rust, and the town starts falling apart. Finally people get infected in a way that deconstructs them as well, and they die. He’s the chief suspect.”
Shanks continued, “Christopher’s got issues. He’s very smug and self-assured and thinks he’s the only one who’s right. Actually, he’s one of my few bad guys — along with my 24 character [Mark Bishop] — who doesn’t end up dead, so there’s an open door there for the character to be Ed Quinn’s nemesis in the future.”
Stargate Atlantis
Executive producer and co-showrunner Joseph Mallozzi recently confirmed in his personal blog that Christopher Judge will be making two appearances as Teal’c in the fourth season of Stargate Atlantis. Mallozzi told fans, “He’ll make a cameo in Reunion and put in a full appearance in Midway.” Judge joins SG-1 veteran Amanda Tapping, who became a regular in the cast as Col. Samantha Carter, the new commander of the Atlantis Expedition in the Pegasus Galaxy.
But, will Dr. Daniel Jackson make an appearance as well? Mallozzi commented recently in his blog, “Alas, in response to many who have been asking, Daniel Jackson will not be making an appearance in season four. But, if we get a fifth season pick-up, it’s definitely something we definitely aim to pursue.” In the TV Guide interview, Shanks reinforces Mallozzi’s declaration, “I talked to the producer, Joe Mallozzi, who said they haven’t heard about a pickup for a sixth [sic] season, but if they do, they’re definitely interested in having Daniel visit for a bit. That’s exciting for me.”
Rage of Angels
Shanks also talks with Rudolf about Christopher Judge’s Rage of Angels in which he will play the fallen angel Lucifer. “We have a verbal greenlight from MGM, but we’re waiting for Brad Turner, who worked with us for years on SG-1, and who’s now a supervising producer on 24, to have a window of opportunity to direct. That may not be until next year.” Those who attended the recently held Creation Con in Chicago said that Shanks mentioned in his Q&A that filming won’t start until around February or March next year.
When asked how he will prepare for playing Lucifer, the ultimate bad guy, Shanks replied, “You know, that’s the $10,000 question. I think Lucifer is just a guy with daddy issues.”
Visit TV Guide for Rudolf’s complete interview with Shanks, entitled “Michael Shanks Visits Eureka and Returns to the Stargate“. For quotes from Joseph Mallozzi, visit his personal blog. Concerning the filming schedule for Rage of Angels revealed at the Chicago Creation Con, visit MSOL.
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28.Aug.07
Posted in News, Press Watch at 6:25 pm by DeeKayP
This year is the “22nd annual celebration of excellence in Canada’s English-language television,” and Stargate Atlantis has picked up two Gemini Awards nominations for Season Three episodes:
Best Writing in a Dramatic Series
- Martin Gero – Stargate Atlantis: McKay and Mrs. Miller
Best Visual Effects
- Mark Savela, Tom Brydon, Brenda Campbell, Debora Dunphy, Shannon Gurney, Andrew Karr, Todd Liddiard, Alec McClymont – Stargate Atlantis: No Man’s Land
According to the Gemini Awards’ official website, “This year’s entry qualifying period is for shows aired between May 1st, 2006 and April 30, 2007.” The Gemini Awards Gala will be held Sunday, October 28, 2007, at the Conexus Arts Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan.
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Posted in Press Watch at 2:17 pm by DeeKayP
The Hollywood Reporter has posted an announcement that Beau Bridges has won the lead role in a new Lifetime pilot called “Family Practice”:
Emmy winner Beau Bridges has been tapped to star in Lifetime’s drama pilot “Family Practice.”
“Practice,” from Sony Pictures TV and “Lost” co-creator Jeffrey Lieber, centers on a South Philly girl who becomes entangled personally and professionally with the affluent, Kennedyesque family members of one of the city’s most prestigious law firms.
Bridges will play the family’s patriarch, a brilliant, radical, Machiavellian lawyer who once defended the most controversial clients he could find. He is a peerless legal mind but not so successful as a father and a husband.
Bridges won Emmys for his roles in the telefilms “The Second Civil War,” “Without Warning: The James Brady Story” and “The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom.”
He earned his 11th Emmy nomination this year for his guest-starring role on NBC’s “My Name Is Earl.”
Bridges is repped by CAA.
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24.Aug.07
Posted in Press Watch at 8:37 am by DeeKayP
Reminder!
Michael Shanks’s “monster” movie Mega Snake makes its premiere on the Sci Fi Channel at 9pm Eastern on Saturday, August 25.
Shanks, in an interview with Starlog Magazine (August 2007 Issue #358):
“MegaSnake – the name says it all.” He grins. “The interesting experience about that was I had to go to Bulgaria to shoot it. I won’t classify Bulgaria as one of my favorite places on the face of the Earth, but it’s a Scifi Channel monster movie, and it lives up to the name. I play Jake, a paramedic from the Appalachians. His family, which he has sort of distanced himself from, is part of a snake cult that believes there are certain powers to be drawn from the cultivation of snakes. They use them in rituals-almost like Christian practices-and they just happen to unleash the wrong snake at a certain point. It just goes on terrorizing the small town, and Jake must hunt it down and save everybody.”
There have already been a few reviews about the movie:
If you miss the premiere, you can catch the movie in one of its re-airings:
- Sunday, August 26, 1:00am Eastern
- Thursday, August 30, 7:00pm Eastern
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21.Aug.07
Posted in Atlantis, News, Press Watch, SG-1 at 6:22 am by DeeKayP
NOTE: This article contains references to the plotlines of the two Stargate movies and casting information for Season Four of Stargate Atlantis.
Dreamwatch’s Bryan Cairns has posted an interview with Christopher Judge on the Total Sci Fi website. Judge talks about the finale of Stargate SG-1, about Teal’c’s future within the franchise, and about another script project he’s working on (see our previous article on Judge’s other script, Rage of Angels).
Concerning the two Stargate direct-to-DVD movies, Judge said:
The thing that was the most exciting was seeing the scripts. All the things we previously had to cut because of constraints – be it budgetary or time – we were now able to do. The writers were excited about the prospect of being able to write an episode and not have to immediately look at the financial reality of it and start dissecting it.
As someone who has written stuff, it is so freeing. It brings you up creatively to see their scripts and go, “Wow! They really took the ball and ran with it.”
The Ark of Truth
Robert C. Cooper’s Stargate: The Ark of Truth ends the Ori storyline that was started in Season Nine. The movie is a compressed version of the story arc that was originally intended to last throughout Season Eleven.
I liked it because it was done correctly. Sometimes more isn’t better. If the story has to be watered down to make it last for 20 episodes, that is not good either. The Arc of Truth is such a bang but also logical. It is not a huge leap of faith that this happens in one contained story. Looking where we went with it, I’m not sure we could have sustained it, so I like the way it ended.
Continuum
The Goa’uld Ba’al makes a return to the stories of SG-1 in Brad Wright’s Stargate: Continuum. Directed by Martin Wood, this movie is the first of the stand-alone stories presented in the franchise’s new format. Already there is talk of more films to be done in this manner.
Because Ba’al goes back in time and alters the timeline, Teal’c is no longer a Free Jaffa, but the First Prime of a Goa’uld System Lord. It just so happens that this System Lord is not Apophis, but Ba’al himself.
What is it like being a Ba’al supporter? [Laughs] It was very interesting to revisit where Teal’c initially started from. That is the good thing about the alternative reality aspect of it. You can be in the same situation but your reality can be altered. I really took enjoyment in finding little moments where Teal’c, as we know him, would have reacted in certain ways but this Teal’c, who is in the same predicament of being a slave to the Gou’ald, reacts completely differently.
I really liked that entire concept and let me tell you, the stuff they did in Continuum like going to the Arctic, is incredible. It is incredible that we were able to do the amount of things we are doing in 18 days. I really think our next step is to do features. Certainly, their imaginations are limitless when it comes to different avenues to take the show.
Stargate Atlantis
The date of the interview is not known, so at the time, Judge addressed the possibility of reprising his role as Teal’c in the fourth season of Stargate Atlantis. Since this time, he has been confirmed by executive producer Joseph Mallozzi to be in the third episode, “Reunion”, and at least one more episode in the second half. Currently, the assumption is that this second-half season episode is the sixteenth on the schedule, “Midway”.
Judge’s New Projects
Not only is Judge pursuing a leading role in his own TV pilot script Rage of Angels, but he has also written a movie script:
I am writing on a horror movie. It is called The Hole and is based on a true story. In Washington State, there is a hole that, by their estimates, is at least 10,000 feet deep. The stuff that is happening around this hole….. The U.S. government has taken over this area and made it like another Area 51.
Even from satellite imagery, they have obscured it. It is a very interesting story. Some of the stuff is unbelievable, but it is so well documented and so many people that have previously worked in government circles have come forward and talked about it.
To read the full interview, visit Dreamwatch’s Total Sci Fi: Christopher judges Stargate.
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20.Aug.07
Posted in Press Watch at 9:45 am by DeeKayP
In a two-part interview published in Mary McNamara’s blog, Christopher Judge stated his reasons for writing the script for his pilot Rage of Angels, “I truly want to be the lead in an hour formatted show and prove that a black lead can be commercially viable and sustainable in overseas markets.”
Judge was told by Stargate SG-1 producer Brad Wright that if that’s what he wanted, he’d have to write it himself. And so, Judge did. According to him, he started writing the day after he was given notice that SG-1 had been cancelled.
Judge is slimming down for his role and has grown out his hair, a very different look than what he had for Teal’c. He said, “I don’t want to remind anyone of Teal’c at all. I want to have two very separate and distinct characters.”
Judge’s distinct character for Rage is the angel Gabriel. Judge basically implies that Gabriel is no angel, as it were, since he’ll be defying the rules of Heaven and God himself when he falls to Earth. “When you think about what Gabriel’s issues are, he’s the wrath of god. Lucifer was God’s beloved, God’s favorite angel. Lucifer wanted to be a god himself, so he was cast out of heaven. Gabriel has to do all the dirty work knowing that God loves another more than him.”
Lucifer will be played by Judge’s long-time friend and Stargate co-star Michael Shanks. In a recent interview with SCI FI WEEKLY, Shanks talked a little about the two actors’ upcoming roles: “It is a slight departure from what I’ve been playing for the last 10 years. With Christopher playing an angel, I mean, that’s a whole — you have no idea how ridiculous that is. So we are definitely going against type with this new project that we’re doing. MGM is going to finance the pilot for it, and we’ll have to wait and see what happens with it. But we are very excited about the future, and as evidence, after working together for 10-plus years, the idea we would want to go and do something together after this is a testament to our, I would say friendship, but I would say also more to our patience with each other.”
Production of the pilot is being backed by MGM who count Stargate as their second largest franchise (after James Bond). Senior Executive Vice President of Finance and Corporate Development Charlie Cohen has been a long-time fan of the Stargate franchise and was instrumental in getting the approximately $14 million needed to produce the two direct-to-DVD movies, Stargate: The Ark of Truth and Stargate: Continuum. The world-wide success of Stargate helped in making the decision in backing Judge in this endeavor. Judge said, “We’re walking into a network with two guys [Judge and Shanks] from the longest running scifi show in history whose show is still making product.”
Helping to solidify the MGM deal was Brad Turner, Emmy-winning producer and director for FOX TV’s hit show 24. Judge said that he and Turner have similar goals for the show: “We agreed on everything. Creatively there were things I put in [the script] and I wasn’t sure that people would get and Brad got them immediately. It was just a very symbiotic relationship.”
McNamara describes the movie as a “backdoor pilot”, which means, according to the definition in the TV IV wiki, it will be “a standalone movie so it can be broadcast even if it is not picked up as a series.” Judge described Rage of Angels as “Touched by An Angel Meets 300.” He then explained: “We’re going to recreate the war of the heavens and it will probably be one of the bloodiest battles that’s ever been shown on television. I thought it needed to be shot very much the way 300 was shot. That’s never been attempted on TV. The perception is: it’s too costly, too time consuming.” He credits Turner for his seeing how they could accomplish their goal, “We sat down and did a rewrite and it’s basically a shooting script. He had specific ideas to tweak things. And Brad walked into MGM and said this is what we want to do and here’s how we’re going to afford it. He dotted every i, crossed every t.”
Whether or not Turner will be able to continue with the project as the series director and showrunner in case the pilot is picked up was a concern for Cohen, according to McNamara. Judge said that they’ll start filming the movie after Stargate Atlantis wraps filming, but didn’t go into the reasons for this specific delay. Judge is to appear in a second-half season episode which is about to be filmed in Vancouver (episode 16, “Midway”), and any further involvement he might have in the show is currently not known. Even with this delay, Rage of Angels has been a project that has seen a very quick track toward production. Judge commented on the process thus far: “It’s been enjoyable. For everything to come together in this business, this quickly – I’ve been blessed.”
To read the full interview, visit Mary McNamara’s blog (two parts): Stargate’s Chris Judge, 24’s Brad Turner Partner for Rage of Angels. For Shanks’ interview, which also includes comments from Amanda Tapping and Judge about Stargate and future projects, visit SCI FI WEEKLY: Amanda Tapping, Michael Shanks and Christopher Judge look back on 10 thrilling years of Stargate SG-1.
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Posted in Press Watch, SG-1 at 6:02 am by DeeKayP
SCI FI WEEKLY’s Melissa Perenson has published short interviews with Amanda Tapping, Michael Shanks, and Christopher Judge about their experiences in the ten years of Stargate SG-1 and what’s in store for their futures.
The three remaining original cast members also talked about the two direct-to-DVD movies briefly:
The Ark of Truth
What was originally going to be Season Eleven of Stargate SG-1, Stargate: The Ark of Truth closes the Ori storyline that was started in Season Nine. Written and directed by Robert C. Cooper, the movie is due to be released world-wide in the Spring of 2008.
Asked if she is happy with how the arc was closed, Tapping replied, “I am, actually, yeah, I am. Because I think it still had a human quality to it. It wasn’t just a blow-’em-up, shoot-’em-out … There was still a very human element to the story, so I am happy with how it ended.”
Shanks, however, didn’t seem to be as satisfied when he offered, “I don’t think there is a way to please everybody. We had a two-year arc of that particular aspect of the storyline, and to spend two hours trying to wrap it all up really quickly, I don’t think is going to please everybody. So it’s hard to say if it’s an apropos wrap-up to it. But I think it’s satisfying enough that we don’t have to leave it lingering. So it was satisfying that we finished the storyline, but Rob [Cooper] still had the presence of mind to write the characters going back up the ramp and ready to take on the next challenge, so to speak. So we can at least end with the aspect these characters are continuing to explore, and we can live on in the imagination of the viewer.”
Judge said that he couldn’t say anything about the movie, but did say, “It’s the closure for the Ori storyline. And it’s big, big, big. It’s a great conclusion for that arc. In a series, it would have taken three or four episodes to tell that story, and we were able to do it in one contained movie.”
Continuum
Brad Wright’s Continuum was directed by long-time Stargate director Martin Wood. The movie sets the stage for the new way of telling SG-1 stories as stand-alone adventures. There is already talk about more movies to come in this new format. Continuum is due for world-wide release on DVD in the Fall of 2008.
Tapping shared some of her experience filming in the Arctic with Ben Browder and concluded with, “I was giddy. It was fun. I had gotten up at 2:30 the last morning so I could see the northern lights, and it was unbelievable.”
Shanks wasn’t asked about Continuum, but Judge was, and he responded, “It was fun, it was fun. It was a fantastic story. But for us around here, fun is always job one. And a lot of it was the fact that Brad was actually on set every day. Over the years, no one’s really gotten to know Coop and Brad, ’cause they’ve been the guys locked up in the tower writing the stories. But to have them actually on set, and for people to see that they’re funny and engaging and human …”
To read the full interviews in which the three talk about their future involvement with the franchise and their non-Stargate projects, visit SCI FI WEEKLY: Amanda Tapping, Michael Shanks and Christopher Judge look back on 10 thrilling years of Stargate SG-1.
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18.Aug.07
Posted in Atlantis at 6:43 pm by DeeKayP
Introduction
“Harmony” is currently scheduled to be the seventeenth episode to air in Season Four of Stargate Atlantis. The episode is written by Martin Gero.
Details
Summary: Always keen on helping their allies, Sheppard and McKay accept a proposal made by Harmony’s sisters to accompany her on a trek into the forest to seek guidance to become queen in her late mother’s stead. Will Harmony become the planet’s new queen, or will an enemy assassinate her — and her escorts?
Flora and Mardola are entertaining Sheppard and McKay in the royal audience room in celebration of their society’s alliance with the Expedition. Both McKay and Sheppard enjoy the grain and fruit obtained in their trade agreement while the Expedition protects them with warnings concerning the Wraith. All is well, except that their sister Harmony must go through a rite of passage for guidance to become queen after their mother’s passing.
The rules of the rite state that the princess must go to the ruins of the great Temple of Laros in the forest alone to meditate and pray and then return. It’s only a day’s journey, but Harmony is so young that Flora and Mardola wish that Sheppard and McKay accompany her to make sure she’s safe. They don’t feel it will be breaking the rules if Sheppard and McKay, both outsiders, go with her.
But, there are Genii soldiers on the planet, and Sheppard kills three of them after the soldiers attack. Why are the Genii there and what do they hope to accomplish in killing Harmony?
Guest Characters
- Harmony
- Flora
- Mardola
- Genii Field Captain
Production
Spoilers are subject to change as this episode is in production.
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17.Aug.07
Posted in Press Watch at 6:10 pm by DeeKayP
SCI FI WIRE’s Ian Spelling talked with Michael Shanks about his role in Sci Fi Channel’s new original movie Mega Snake, due to premiere on Saturday, August 25, at 9pm Eastern. Shanks filmed the movie in Bulgaria following the end of production of Stargate SG-1 last year.
“The title says it all,” Shanks said with a laugh during an interview. He added: “If you can believe it, it’s about a very large snake, and, believe it or not, there’s actually a realistic quotient to it.”
[...]
The movie is based on the real-life snake-handling religious cults in the American South, Shanks said. “The empowerment of this snake is representative of some sort of religious icon for them,” he added. “We actually watched some documentary footage of these people from the Deep South who go to these snake rituals, which was quite disturbing.”
Shanks’ character’s father was one of the priests of a snake cult and died from a snakebite. “My character has been scarred for life ever since from witnessing this and has a deathly fear of snakes,” Shanks said. “And, of course, the way the chain of unfortunate events happens, a giant snake starts attacking the town, and he must overcome his own fears to fight the horrible beast. … There were a few rubber snakes around for the early stages of it, and since then they’ve added the CGI.”
The computer-generated effects impressed Shanks, who played Dr. Daniel Jackson on SG-1 for 10 seasons. “It’s pretty sweet,” he said. “I will not jump on any kind of false bandwagon and claim that this is the most iconic piece of entertainment to ever hit the small screen, but it carries a certain entertainment value for these kinds of movies.”
Snake-handling religious organizations are not isolated to the Deep South. According to the Wikipedia: “Snake handling” article, there’s a church in Shanks’ hometown of Kamloops, British Columbia!
Mega Snake also features the debut of last year’s winner of the Sci Fi Channel’s competition Who Wants to Be a Superhero?, Matthew Atherton, aka “Feedback”. Visit Sci Fi’s Mega Snake homepage to see the movie’s poster and actor credits, as well as a streaming video promo.
Airings for the movie (from Sci Fi’s Schedulebot):
08/25/2007 09:00 PM
08/25/2007 01:00 AM
08/30/2007 07:00 PM
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