Stargate Atlantis executive producer and co-showrunner Joseph Mallozzi has posted in his weblog about the end of Atlantis as a television series and the beginning of it as a series of movies.
Concerning the series finale, which had been speculated as a cliffhanger (producer/writer Carl Binder said it had a “cliffhanger element” in an interview), Mallozzi said, “Episode 20, Enemy at the Gate, will mark our 100th episode and, contrary to online speculation, we will not be ending things with a cliffhanger. Regardless of whether we got the pick-up or not, we had always planned a clean conclusion to our 100th episode, one that would hopefully leave fans satisfied yet eager for more. And that “more” will come in the form of the Stargate Atlantis movie…”
Mallozzi explained some of the reasons why the decision was made by both MGM and the Sci Fi Channel to move Atlantis into this new movie format and added, “Even though I see a lot of anger directed at both MGM and Sci Fi, the fact is we couldn’t have done it without their support. And we’re going to count on that support as Atlantis continues its adventures as a movie franchise.”
As far as what’s in store for the Atlantis Expedition in the Pegasus Galaxy, Mallozzi explained, “About a month ago, with so much uncertainty about the future of the series, Rob Cooper pitched out the idea of shooting the SGA movie at the end of this season. His thinking was that if the series did end, we would have a movie in hand. If, however, the series was picked up, the “SGA movie” (codenamed Project Twilight) would simply become the opening two episodes of the show’s sixth season. Alas, this notion never got past the consideration stage and, as a result, we won’t be rolling right into it as planned. On the bright side, however, the network has greenlit the movie and we do have a terrific idea in mind. Obviously, I can’t say much about it at this point but suffice it to say that it should include the entire cast in addition to a certain gaunt and pallid flowing-locked guest star. And, if it proves anywhere as successful as the first two SG-1 direct-to-video features, you can be assured that this will be the first in a long, long line of Stargate Atlantis movies.”
Mallozzi and co-showrunner Paul Mullie are slated to write the script for the movie, which doesn’t have a name yet. No more information is available about when the movie will be filmed, who will be directing it, when it will be shown on the Sci Fi Channel (although a previous press release indicated 2009), or when it will make its way to DVD by MGM.
To read Mallozzi’s complete statement, visit All Good Things…
what about stargate sg1 third movie?