The three television/movie projects of the Stargate franchise have recently been covered through interviews posted on the web: Stargate Atlantis, the Stargate SG-1 movies, and the new offering, Stargate Universe.
Stargate Atlantis
MGM’s Official Stargate website has published an interview with Paul McGillion, covering mostly his return to the sets as the clone of Dr. Carson Beckett. McGillion jokes a little about there hardly being any differences between the “original” and the clone, but hopes that they will be explored in the future. “The interesting thing is that Beckett had this happen to him, and hopefully the writers will look into that. Because you never know what happened to him, really. You don’t know what special things he might have to offer. That’s becoming apparent in this episode [“Outsiders”], so that’s cool.”
McGillion has returned to the sets for three of the five episodes promised by the producers for his character in Season Five thus far. One thing he has been thrilled about in this new recurring arrangement is that his character is used more to drive the story, making each appearance count. “The great thing is that every time I come back they’re big Beckett episodes. This one, ‘Outsiders’ is a big Beckett episode. The last one I did, ‘Whispers’, that was awesome.”
Even though McGillion is no longer a main cast member, the production has still given him his own trailer, setting him apart as more than just a guest star. “I don’t know what the future holds – I kind of gave up on that when they killed the character,” he reveals with a laugh. “All I know is that I come here and I do my best and hopefully they like what I do. But it’s been interesting – and when I come in they want to optimize the time that I’m here, so every time I come to shoot an episode I’ve got every day of the episode. It’s nice to be that involved. Would I come back and work on this full time? It depends. Right now I’m pleased that they’ve had me back for these episodes and we’ll see what happens in the future.”
To read the complete interview, visit MGM: Close Up: Paul McGillion.
Stargate: Continuum
The MGM Official Stargate website has posted another exclusive video featuring Brad Wright’s Stargate: Continuum to their main page. This time, the short video features director Martin Wood as he tells a story on Richard Dean Anderson and how it was to share a hooch with the restless actor in the cold, frozen Arctic Circle.
Visit MGM’s home page, and click on “Watch Exclusive Video Now!” to see “Shooting in the Arctic”.
Future Stargate SG-1 Movies
SCI FI PI published the second part of their frank interview with Christopher Judge, and the actor reveals little secrets about the behind-the-scenes life of the Stargate SG-1 family. He talks about working with his fellow actors and how being on the cast with this particular group of people has changed his life. He also talked about the future of the Stargate movies.
Reiterating what’s been said by writer and producer Brad Wright and director Martin Wood, Judge said, “We just screened Continuum, and it blew me away. I went to Brad after the screening and said, ‘ooh boy, this could have been a huge feature film!’
“I kind of think these two movies [Stargate: The Ark of Truth and Stargate: Continuum] were an audition, if you will. I mean, let’s face it, we started twelve years ago, so it was more to see if we were still a viable product, if we still had fan support, and I think they’ve pushed us a lot of the way to finally get to that next level – of doing feature films.
Visit SCI FI PI: Teal’c Cuts Loose: The Ultimate Christopher Judge Interview, Part 2 to read more about Judge’s views on politics, religion, friends, and family.
Stargate Universe
Way back in October last year, Robert C. Cooper and Brad Wright pitched the idea for a third Stargate TV show, currently named Stargate Universe, to the SCI FI Channel. They had already talked with MGM about the series, and now both the studio and the network must come to a decision as to whether or not the program will move forward.
Both Cooper and Wright have been very quiet about what’s happening concerning the show, as Christopher Judge told SCI FI PI, “They’re being really really tight about it. And I play golf with them! Brad and Rob have been playing it very close to the vest. But it is a go.”
With such a revelation, it’s very possible that word about the series will be soon to come. Wright, in an interview with newsarama.com, stated, “Stargate: Universe is very much something we have been discussing with SCI FI and MGM for a long time…too long actually. They need to make some decisions. I think we are at the point of finding out soon.
“We know what we are doing and what we want to do. We are excited about the prospect but as long as Atlantis is going strong and as long as there are prospects for new movies, it doesn’t matter to me if my next project is two more movies for next year. Essentially, we would put a third series off another year but MGM wants one. They know the franchise is still strong.”
To read the rest of Wright’s interview in which he discusses Continuum in more detail, visit Newsarama: Writer-Producer Brad Wright Talks ‘Stargate: Continuum’.
[Just a reminder that spoilers are present at these interview links.]