News, spoilers and updates in the Stargate world
Amazon.com has announced that the Region 1/North American version of the Stargate Atlantis complete series DVD collection is available for pre-order. The current price is $168.99, and the release date is 6 October ’09. This is not particularly a good deal considering some of the early seasons are available for less than $25 each. But, for those fans who like a compact collection all in once place, it’s a great option.
Pre-order the SGA Complete Series Collection here.
“I’m a Genius” is the title of an interview that Stargate star David Hewlett had with the French fansite “David Hewlett – FR”. It’s a special day in France as today (July 1) is the release day for Hewlett’s A Dog’s Breakfast!
The lengthy interview covers nearly all aspects of Hewlett’s “genius”-ness in the world of television and movie production. From writing, to acting, to directing, to producing, the versatile and talented actor continues to endear himself to his fans by remaining down-to-earth and accessible.
You’ll need to visit the webpage (where the audio interview is available for download and is transcribed in both English and French) to get the full picture of what Hewlett’s doing, but here are some of the highlights that might interest Stargate fans:
First up, Stargate star Christopher Judge’s appearance in A Dog’s Breakfast:
The part of Christopher Judge in your movie is excellent, how did you come up to have him on the board?
Chris Judge…I always say about Chris Judge that there is a type of actor that has, for want of a better word, a “light”, like there’s something about him when he walks into a room you can’t help, you always look at him, you always pay attention to him. And he doesn’t have to do anything, he’s just standing here silently and he becomes the centre of attention, he’s just like this almost magical beast. He is incredibly funny, he has done Stargate for God-knows how long and he rarely has anything to do on Stargate, you never really see him say many lines and he was just so funny and so completely wrong for the part that it seemed right to give it to him. It was actually Jane’s idea, I had originally thought he should be, you know, he was a guy that couldn’t get a date, he should look like somebody who can’t get a date and she actually said: “Wouldn’t it be funnier if it was Chris Judge because it’s so silly to think that Chris Judge couldn’t get a date if he wanted one”. So at first I thought that she was crazy, but we did the read-through, we all sat down and read it, and he was so funny in this one little scene that I had written for him that I ended up extending the part, probably to three times the size and I wish I had put him in it more because he was so much fun to work with and the day he was in was just my favourite day, it was the only day that I really sort of relaxed because he just puts you at ease and he’s just the most ridiculously inappropriate and funny man you’ve ever come across and every time I sit down to write something there is always and there will always be a part for Christopher Judge in my stuff because he’s just…he’s a movie star! There’s nothing else you can say about him. Christopher Judge is a movie star, I just keep waiting for him to get his big break in that regard.
Then, there’s the filming of the “Starcrossed” scenes for the movie on Stargate‘s Daedalus set with Atlantis’ Paul McGillion and Rachel Luttrell:
So how is doing the production of “Starcrossed”?
Ha-ha. Well “Starcrossed” was the last thing we shot, we shot for one Saturday on the Stargate set, and we were told that we were allowed to use as long as it didn’t look like a Stargate set. Of course the Stargate fans all know it right away, but if you don’t know Stargate then I suppose that you might be impressed by how big the sets were. It was really, really funny because Rachel… lovely Rachel, the poor woman, I basically cast her as Teyla again, and I apologized to her for it, but I did say that they made her look beautiful in it, and I think she looks fantastic. And again, she’s got a great sense of humour. I actually just read a script that she has written, a sort of short film that she’s written, which is very, very funny and it’s exciting, there’s a lot of action and stuff too…
Having her and Paul McGillion and the whole crew around, and Michael Lenic, it was that much more amusing because we were in the middle of shooting Stargate so all of Starcrossed suddenly seemed very sort of close to home because it was a bit like “Galaxy Quest”, it amusingly mirrors our experiences shooting Stargate sometimes. It’s obviously sillier but I think there’s a very funny side to shooting Sci-fi. Sci-fi is all very serious and stuff but watching it being shot is very amusing so…We actually have a show that we are working on now called “Starcrossed” which is a behind-the-scenes comedy about making Sci-fi because we were just so taken with that part of the film. And the fans really liked that part of the film as well.
And there’s more…the first Stargate Atlantis movie, currently titled Stargate: Extinction, and perhaps working with Amanda Tapping once again in Sanctuary:
About Atlantis, have you seen the scenario of the movie or are you totally out of the loop?
Totally out of the loop, the actors are always the last to know of these things. I’ve heard rumours that we’re going to do a movie, I’ve heard rumours that we’re not going to do a movie. I basically just wait, that’s it, that’s all you can do, just hope for the best. Stargate was just the best job I’ve ever had, it was just fantastic, amazing people to work with, and just a great experience and I miss it terribly. And also as a sci-fi nerd I was a part of the sci-fi entertainment industry, which is just fantastic, to be there, to do ComicCon every year and to do all that kind of stuff. So I definitely miss it, I really, really enjoyed my time on that show. What is nice about not being on a show everyday is that you’ve got time to pursue your own stuff, which is basically what I’ve been doing. That’s the hope. I mean there’s definitely keeping an eye out for acting jobs as well, but basically just focussing on getting my own stuff made.
Amanda Tapping is an inspiration to me on that, because she’s just on such a fantastic job of transitioning from the Stargate franchise into her own franchise with Sanctuary so I think she’s a great example of alternate means of distribution and how that can succeed. I mean, she ended up with a TV series, it’s fantastic! What they’re doing over there is incredibly inspiring and she is a very smart one so I look forward to battle with her again.
Yes, I’ve seen this series. Are you planning to work with her again in Sanctuary?
Yes, I would love to. Unfortunately I got a call about possibly doing some stuff with them again but the schedule didn’t work out, as always. Unfortunately I was busy when they were doing it. But I hope so, yeah, a lot of those guys are from the Stargate days and obviously working with Amanda is such a treat so I’m hoping that another opportunity will come up in that regard.
Even the new Stargate Universe got a mention:
Back to the Stargate franchise, what is your point of view on Stargate Universe?
You know, I’ve got no point of view. I haven’t seen it so…it’s one of those weird things, as an actor who is no longer doing the show it’s that sort of weird bittersweet thing. I think it’s fantastic the franchise is continuing and I’m curious to see what they are going to do with it but at the same time I think “How could they possibly do a show without me?!?”.
You’re not going to play a part in the season premiere or a small appearance?
Nope. No. They are already shooting and I have not been a part of it thus far. They’ve talked about really trying to move it in a different direction so I think it’s difficult to do that if you have all the same characters. I know there are some crossovers and there have definitely been some crossovers with the SG-1 characters and such… I don’t know what happened there, I mean I would obviously love to be a part of it, and I’d loved to have been a part of it but I understand they have to have their own lives, they have to do their own things. So you know, it’s not really my call. Hey, if I had my way I’d be in every episode of every show ever! So, you know, we’d get pretty bored watching television so it’s probably good somebody else is running things.
Right now I’ve been trying to work on my own little science-fiction thing so we will see how that sorts out.
Most assuredly, there’s much, much more, so visit David Hewlett FR: I’m a Genius!
[Thanks to SGAngeL for the screencaps from A Dog’s Breakfast. Stargate images from MGM and Sci Fi (Syfy).]
Your intrepid editor’s Season 5 DVD box set arrived today, and the first things watched were the deleted scene featurettes. Since those weren’t detailed in the published content description, here’s a rundown of what’s in the deleted scene specials.
All the scenes are unfinished in terms of music, sound, and visual effects, but they are still very fun to watch. The features and many of the scenes are introduced by Martin Gero, and other writers as well as stunt coordinator James Bamford introduce scenes they wrote or were involved in.
Search and Rescue — Three scenes introducing Capt. Alicia Vega as a new character were shortened or cut for time and momentum. In the first, Vega approaches Carter to complain that she’s been there a week and hasn’t been assigned to a team. She comes on strong, and Carter ends up putting her in her place. The second scene is a longer version of Vega taking out the Wraith Dart with her machine gun; in the longer scene, Vega takes some credit for the lucky shot. Martin Gero feels Stargate is far too heterosexual, so he wanted Vega to be a lesbian. But, since Keller was the only single female on the show (really?), it had to be Keller that Vega went for. So the third cut scene is Vega chatting up Keller about what there is to do for fun on Atlantis, and finally asking Keller if she can buy her a drink later. Keller tells her yes, if she can get free. Keller seems very puzzled by the offer.
Broken Ties — The scene shown is a much longer version of the fight scene between Ronon and Tyre, with Sheppard holding off Wraith with his gun.
The Seed — The cut scene has Sheppard, Teyla and Ronon discuss Woolsey just after their first conference room meeting with him. Teyla and Ronon decidedly don’t like him, and Sheppard is left to say it could be a lot worse, and that Woolsey is still new. Ronon is not convinced Woolsey will get any better.
The Shrine — Brad Wright had written a scene to help set up Stargate Universe that got cut. In it, Zelenka catches Rodney in the corridor on his way to the mission where he gets infected. Zelenka tries to tell Rodney that the ninth chevron may enable one to travel millions of light years across the universe, rather than only across a galaxy. Rodney rejects the idea completely The scene ends with a funny exchange between Teyla and Ronon, who have been watching the discussion.
Whispers — The scene, introduced by Joe Mallozzi, is a much longer version of the one where Carson is packing to leave Atlantis to be a roving doctor, and Rodney argues against it. It includes Carson saying he wants to take his turtles with him, and Rodney being sad to hear it, then pitifully describing their natures, since the clone Carson had never really owned them. Carson relents and lets Rodney keep the turtles, named Jeffrey and Michelle. Then Sheppard arrives, as he did in the final scene as aired.
Remnants — Joe Mallozzi introduces an entire cut scene in which Shen questions Woolsey on all the mistakes she feels he has made, such as not killing Keller when she was infected with the Wraith contagion, permitting Ronon to remain free after swearing allegiance to the Wraith, and allowing the Replicators to establish a corporeal form on Atlantis. Woolsey describes how and why he had to stop going “by the book” to run the city. Woolsey gets the upper hand in the war of words.
Brain Storm — Gero introduces the three scenes that were cut for time. First is a short walk-and-talk between Sheppard and Ronon on the way to the cafeteria, in which they argue about the value of playing video games, with Ronon in the “against” category. Sheppard assures Ronon there won’t be any video games on the surfing planet. The second scene is an interchange between Rodney and Tunney, in front of the white board, talking about a potential solutions to their predicament. The third cut scene is Bill Nye actually being himself in a scene he wrote, talking to the audience about how science fiction reminds us that we can work together to solve our real-life planetary problems.
Stay tuned for more tidbits as we watch the box set. The special in filming Vegas was the next thing I watched, and it was incredibly awesome.
TVShowsOnDVD.com has announced that all five seasons of Stargate Atlantis are to be released in a Complete Series DVD set on October 6 (Region 1/North America)! The set will include all 100 episodes and most likely all of the extra features that are included on the individual seasons’ sets, but that hasn’t been confirmed yet.
Visit the website for packaging art and other details. The set is featured at Amazon.com for both DVD (Amazon says there are 26 discs in this set) and Blu-ray formats.
For those who already have Seasons One through Four and just lack Season Five to make their collections complete, the Season Five Box Set is coming to Region 1 at the end of this month (June 30).
Update: Amazon.co.uk has the Complete DVD set with a release date of August 10 for Region 2 (Europe)! This date is subject to change.
Television Without Pity is hosting its annual Tubey Awards for the best and worst of television. Anyone can vote via their web site. Currently there are many nominees in each category, and those will be narrowed down to ten when a final round of voting starts on July 6 and continues through August. So visit and vote, early and often!
Stargate Atlantis is featured both in a positive and negative light, and Stargate Universe is mentioned, too. You can vote for Stargate-related items in the following polls:
There are many categories that reference shows and actors related to Stargate, such as Sanctuary (starring Amanda Tapping), Burn Notice (featuring Michael Shanks), Fringe (starring SG-1 alum John Noble), and more. So head on over and show your support for your favorite shows and Stargate alumni.
Stargate writer and producer Joseph Mallozzi dedicated an entry to his weblog yesterday that was meant to get the attention of “casting directors, producers, studio people, and network execs” as he recommended the hiring of some of the guest stars that have appeared in Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, and Stargate Universe.
He started off by explaining why he’s just got ten names right now, “Over the course of my ten years with the Stargate franchise, I’ve had the pleasure to work with numerous talented individuals, many of them guest stars who impressed with their performance, professionalism, and gracious off-camera attitude. And so, today, I’d like to make mention of a few of them here (and I stress “a few of them” because there are certainly more than many I could add to the list. But, for the purposes of today’s entry, let’s go with these ten individuals who a) left a lasting impression and b) I feel are really deserving of more recognition). All are gifted actors who would make a terrific addition to any cast. But be warned! Snap ’em up now because I have a feeling they’ll only be available for so long.”
No doubt, these names will be familiar with you as well, since several have indeed been “snapped up” for popular movies and television series.
Mallozzi’s First 10 Actors to Recommend for Hire:
To read what Mallozzi had to say about these actors, visit his June 17th entry. Links on their names in the above list will get you to our Stargate Wiki profiles.
Fans anxious to hear definite word about the Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis DVD movies must resort to reading the internet tea leaves, as no “official” word seems to be forthcoming, one way or the other. We’ve heard rumors of filming dates, but none of the cast has said they have a deal in place, and we know the scripts are not yet finalized.
Based on recent hints, fans might need to prepare themselves for yet more uncertainty and delay. First, MGM Studios, which has to fund the movies’ production, is in deep debt amid the current financial turmoil. As the New York Times reported:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the 85-year-old movie studio behind “The Wizard of Oz” and the James Bond franchise, has hired an adviser to help restructure its mountainous $3.7 billion in debt and keep its film pipeline running,
[…]
Analysts have also grown concerned about the studio’s ability to raise financing for new film production amid the depressed credit markets. MGM has scaled back its ambitions to produce as many as 12 movies a year.
It’s likely that as DVD-only movies, the two Stargate films would not be counted among the 12 productions; still it does not bode well in that MGM doesn’t seem to have capital to invest in anything remotely risky. The SG-1 movies were by all accounts more successful than expected, but the DVD market has since been in decline, as reported here.
In his blog entry for 12 June, Joe Mallozzi also described some financial realities:
In addition to the stark realities of a suffering DVD market (the victim of a perfect storm of circumstances – the evolution of alternate media platforms, the recession, and – my #1 suspect – Blu-ray). In order to set an official date for the commencement of principal photography, the studio – which is taking the lion’s share of the risk by bankrolling the production – must first sort out a number of issues. Still, as I’ve been saying all along, we all want to make this movie (me most of all as, from a purely mercenary standpoint, I’ll be producing it – and not for free), and we now have a first draft script in place.
These hints point to the need for fans to adjust expectations about filming in 2009. Perhaps we can give MGM the confidence it needs to fund the movies by buying the upcoming Stargate DVD releases: the SG-1 Children of the Gods remix, and Stargate Atlantis Season 5. Strong sales will prove DVDs still have a place on the shelves of Stargate fans!
Joseph Mallozzi has opened his weblog to fans once again! This time, he’s offering to take questions from fans for Stargate Atlantis star Paul McGillion.
The prolific blogger said, “Just spoke to actor Paul McGillion who called to let me know that there’s an opening in his busy schedule and, why yes, he’d love to do a fan Q&A with us. So to all you Beckett boosters and Scot supporters out there, start posting. I’ll be gathering questions for Paul until Friday night – after which it’ll be too late and you’ll only have yourselves to blame. Tsk, tsk.”
To post your question, visit the latest entry to Mallozzi’s weblog and scroll all the way down to the bottom where the comment form awaits you. Mallozzi screens each and every comment, so it might take a little while for yours to become visible, but rest assured that he’ll post it as soon as he can. Remember that you have until Friday, June 12!
From this entry on deepdiscountdvd.com comes a listing of what fans can look forward to on the upcoming release of the SGA Season 5 DVD box set. While there are many great extras, it’s interesting and perhaps disappointing to note four episodes do not have audio commentaries. Producers have noted doing the commentaries is a voluntary, unpaid activity that must be fitted into busy schedules. Still, one would have expected a commentary for critically acclaimed “The Shrine”! The box set will be released on 30 June ’09 for Region 1 (North America). For Region 2 (UK and Europe), the five disks are being released one at a time from 11 May – 6 July, according to this site, with a box set being released on 8 September. In any case, here is the reported content, which should be the same for all regions.
5-Disc Set
Region 1
NTSC
Box Set – Checkpoint – Sensormatic
Anamorphic Widescreen – 1.78
Audio:
Dolby Surround 5.1 – English
Mono – Spanish, French
Subtitles – English, French, Spanish
Text/Photo Galleries: Photo Galleries
Production Art: Production Design Gallery
1. 501 – Search and Rescue
2. 502 – The Seed
3. 503 – Broken Ties
4. 504 – The Daedalus Variations
1. Commentary on Search and Rescue by Executive Producer Martin Gero and Director/Producer Andy Mikita
2. Commentary on The Seed by Director William Waring
3. Commentary on Broken Ties by Executive Producer Joseph Mallozzi and Actor Jason Momoa
4. Commentary on The Daedalus Variations by Supervising Producer Alan McCullough and Director/Producer Andy Mikita
1. Mission Directive: Search and Rescue
2. Showdown! Ronan v. Tyre
3. Bringing The Seed to Life
Trailers: Stargate Universe
1. 505 – Ghost in the Machine
2. 506 – The Shrine
3. 507 – Whispers
4. 508 – The Queen
1. Commentary on Whispers by Executive Producer Joseph Mallozzi and Director William Waring
2. Commentary on The Queen by Supervising Producer Alan McCullough and Director Brenton Spencer
1. Mission Directive: Whispers with Will Waring and Joseph Mallozzi
2. Tricks of the Trade: Submerging the Stargate
3. Joe Flanigan: A Conversation with the Colonel
1. 509 – Tracker
2. 510 – First Contact
3. 511 – The Lost Tribe
4. 513 – Outsiders
1. Commentary on Tracker by Executive Producer Carl Binder and Director William Waring
2. Commentary on First Contact by Executive Producer Martin Gero and Director/Producer Andy Mikita
3. Commentary on The Lost Tribe by Executive Producer Martin Gero and Director/Producer Andy Mikita
4. Commentary on Outsiders by Supervising Producer Alan McCullough and Director William Waring
1. Mission Directive: Tracker with Will Waring and Carl Binder
2. Dr. Jackson Comes to Atlantis
3. Building a Humanoid with James Robbins & Martin Gero
1. 512 – Inquisition
2. 514 – The Prodigal
3. 515 – Remnants
4. 516 – Brain Storm
1. Commentary on Inquisition by Director Brenton Spencer and Actor Tobias Slezak
2. Commentary on The Prodigal by Executive Producer Carl Binder and Director/Producer Andy Mikita
3. Commentary on Remnants by Executive Producer Joseph Mallozzi and Director William Waring
4. Commentary on Brain Storm by Executive Producer/Director Martin Gero
1. Mission Directive: Brain Storm with Martin Gero
2. The Life and Death of Michael Kenmore
Deleted Scenes: Deleted Scenes (Part One)
1. 517 – Infection
2. 518 – Identity
3. 519 Vegas (Extended Episode)
4. 520 Enemy at the Gate (Extended Episode)
1. Commentary on Vegas by Executive Producer Robert C. Cooper, Producer John G. Lenic and Director of Photography Michael Blundell
2. Commentary on Enemy at the Gate by Executive Producer Paul Mullie and VFX Supervisor Mark Savela
1. Stargate Atlantis Goes to Vegas
2. Inside the Stargate Costume Department
Deleted Scenes: Deleted Scenes (Part Two)
Paul McGillion as Dr. Carson Beckett (image from MGM)
Stargate Atlantis star Paul McGillion says thanks to the fans for the five wonderful years that he had as the beloved Dr. Carson Beckett.
First, he sums up Carson’s story arc and then expounds, “It’s been a great journey. You don’t know to think when you start something like this—I was hoping that it would go on for a while, and it did: a hundred episodes is huge in this day and age; and to be part of that, to be part of this franchise, I’m really thankful to everybody that gave me the opportunity, and mostly to the fans, because without them, we wouldn’t have a show, and I certainly wouldn’t be still standing here as Carson Beckett.”
Turning on a bit more of the Scottish accent, Paul concludes, “Thank you to the fans. God love you. You’re fantastic. I hope you continue watching Stargate for years and the next show does as well as this show does. You’ve been very, very special to me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you very much.”
To watch the video, which includes McGillion’s “wrap day”, visit MGM: McGillion Says Goodbye.
According to Stargate Actor Appearances, McGillion’s next convention appearance will be at the Official Stargate SG-1 & Atlantis Convention in Rosemont (Chicago), Illinois, from August 21-23, 2009.