The Hollywood Reporter has a new article entitled “MGM resurrects Sci Fi series with pics” in which writer and director Robert C. Cooper discussed the two direct-to-DVD movies scheduled to be released in 2008. Cooper addressed how he closed off some of the loose ends left after the conclusion of the record-breaking ten seasons of the TV show, Stargate SG-1, in his movie, Stargate: The Ark of Truth, scheduled to be released March 11, 2008, in North America, and how Brad Wright’s Stargate: Continuum, tentatively scheduled to be released in July 2008, is “a good old-fashioned ‘SG-1’ stand-alone story.”
Along with covering the differences between shooting these two films versus the television series, including having a larger budget and using film instead of high definition, Cooper discussed how the movies are structured differently than the episodes. “On the show, we had a five-act structure, and we designed the stories around commercial breaks. As such, on average you really ended up with about a seven- or eight-minute climactic sequence in each episode. The DTVs are more structurally like movies, with a beginning, middle and ending — long, sustained action that ramps up to a satisfying conclusion.”
MGM’s official press release, reproduced at TVShowsOnDVD.com, confirmed the March 11, 2008, release of The Ark of Truth, as well as revealed a bit more about the movie’s plot (spoilers!). This article also provided an image that might be the actual cover for the DVD (not what is pictured to the right herein).
DVDActive.com also announced the release of the DVD and listed the extras to be included:
- audio commentary with Writer, Director and Producer Robert C. Cooper, Actor Christopher Judge and Director of Photography, Peter Woeste
- Stargate SG-1: The Road Taken: Prelude to The Ark of Truth featurette
- Ark of Truth: Stargate at Comic-Con featurette
- Uncovering The Ark of Truth featurette
Both movies include the regular cast members from Season Ten of Stargate SG-1: Ben Browder, Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge, Claudia Black, Beau Bridges, and Michael Shanks.
[Thanks to Prion and Beckmen for the tips!]