Stargate Universe creative consultant Joseph Mallozzi reported in his weblog yesterday (December 9), that casting has been “narrowed down” for the new series, so it is possible we’ll hear the announcments soon.
Mallozzi said that SGU co-creators and co-showrunners Robert C. Cooper and Brad Wright met with “the gang at MGM” (the studio that controls the budget and contracts). “With the initial auditions and call-backs complete, they’ll be heading into test week on the hunt for a Young, Scott, Eli, Tamara, Chloe, and Stasiak. As for Rush – well, this one should be very interesting.”
All of these names except for Rush were in the initial character breakdowns released in September. The name “Scott” is new to the list, but is actually a rename of Lt. Jared Nash (as Mallozzi posted on November 28). Dr. David Rush is Mallozzi’s favorite new character. It could be that the production team already had an actor or actors in mind for the part of Rush, a “handful” of a character according to Mallozzi, and then had no need to call for an open audition as they did for the other parts.
According to the audition sides for Col. Everett Young, Rush and Young are at odds because Rush felt he should have been in command of the expedition once they ended up stranded on the Destiny far from home. Young, a military man, took command based on “circumstances”. The two men discuss the candidates for a small Ancient Shuttle crew to go on a mission to a planet. Young places each person’s name on a slip of paper for a drawing. Rush agrees that Scott is the best choice for piloting the shuttle, and Stasiak should take Rush’s own spot on the crew because the young marine is strong and protective. They also discuss someone named “TJ” who has the skills necessary for off-world survival. This “TJ” might be Tamara Jon [aka Johanson].
Other characters, who might be recurring characters or “red shirts”, include Wray and Brody.
Mallozzi also said that “it looks like they’ve finally decided on a ship design. More or less.” The Destiny is another major character and is the primary setting for the show. Of course, the Stargate located on the ship figures into the equation, as well.
Principal photography begins February 4, 2009, and the show will premiere with a three-parter entitled “Air” sometime in July 2009 on the Sci Fi Channel. For a one-stop location for SGU information, visit the Stargate Universe Guide in the Solutions Stargate Wiki.