Category: News

Cliff Simon (1962-2021)

Cliff SimonWe’re sad to report the passing of Cliff Simon, the actor who brought one of SG-1’s archenemies, Ba’al, to life.

Simon passed away in a kite boarding accident on March 9, 2021, in Topanga, California.

He was born September 7, 1962, in Johannesburg, South Africa, and began his acting career in 1991. His Stargate debut was in the Season 5 episode “Summit, Part 1” (2001) and he last appeared in the movie Continuum (2008).

Pay tribute to Simon in our comments below and share your favorite Cliff Simon/Ba’al moments with us.

Lexa Doig Wins Role on Arrow

Stargate alum Lexa Doig has been cast in CW’s Arrow as Talia Al Ghul, daughter of Ra’s Al Ghul. This is a recurring role, and Lexa appears to already be doing archery training for it! See her twitter feed for lots of reaction: https://twitter.com/lexashmexa/

For more details:

http://tvline.com/2016/11/02/arrow-season-5-talia-al-ghul-cast-lexa-doig/

http://screenrant.com/arrow-talia-al-ghul-lexa-doig/

The timing may be convenient, as her husband Michael Shanks’ show Saving Hope has just wrapped production in Toronto.

 

Michael Shanks’ Saving Hope to End After Five Seasons

Saving Hope, the medical drama with a supernatural twist, will end after five seasons. Starring Michael Shanks and Erica Durance, the show filmed in Toronto.

Saving Hope showrunner Adam Pettle discusses the decision to end the series

Michael lived there, away from his home in Vancouver, for more than half the year. The show wrapped production this week, so there were many sad goodbyes.

Canada will see Season 5 this winter. In the US, Ion TV is still showing Season 4.

Congrats to Michael on a five-year run, and welcome back to Vancouver!

 

Bridges with Emmy nomination

Beau Bridges as Tom Miller  Beau Bridges had a long film history before playing General Hank Landry  on Stargate SG-1 for Seasons 9 and 10, and his distinguished career has continued.  Most recently, The Television Academy has given him an Emmy nomination nod for his guest role as Barton Scully on Showtime’s Masters of Sex.  He was nominated for the same role in 2014.  This makes Bridges’s 16th Emmy nomination; he’s previously won 3 Emmys.  We at Solutions wish this Stargate alumnus best of luck when the Emmys air on September 20.

Stargate to Return in Reboot Trilogy!

Stargate (MGM)We’ve heard talks about a reboot or continuation of the original Stargate movie from Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin for several years, but now it appears that MGM will be going forward with it!

According to this article at Deadline Hollywood, Emmerich and Devlin stated, “The Stargate universe is one that we missed terribly, and we cannot wait to get going on imagining new adventures and situations for the trilogy. This story is very close to our hearts, and getting the chance to revisit this world is in many ways like a long lost child that has found its way back home.”

This new arrangement will not include Kurt Russell or James Spader as Col. Jack O’Neill and Daniel Jackson. Instead, MGM is teaming with Warner Bros. to produce a “re-imagined trilogy” based on the Stargate. Whether or not this includes Jack and Daniel, we can only speculate at this time, but the production’s goal is to introduce the franchise to a new generation. It would be hard to imagine Stargate without these two legendary characters.

The original Stargate movie was released in 1994 and was used as the foundation for the Stargate SG-1 television series (after which our website is named), which premiered in 1997 and ran for 10 years. Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks starred in the pivotal roles of Jack and Daniel.

As SG-1 fans we can celebrate the enduring attraction that is Stargate, but it will be hard to let go of our preconceived notions of who Jack and Daniel are and how the Stargate was discovered and used to take them on new adventures. How do you feel about the reboot of Stargate and who would you like to see portray Jack and Daniel?

David Hewlett Doing “Ask Me Anything” on Reddit 1/23/14

DHewlettRedditDavid Hewlett (Dr. Rodney McKay) is doing an Ask Me Anything (AMA) over at Reddit at 7 pm EST on 23 Jan 2014. For those who don’t know, Reddit is a general discussion forum that often hosts AMAs by famous people, who must verify they are ‘them’ by taking a picture referencing the AMA. Any user can ask a question, and the guest answerer can choose which ones to answer.

Anyone can read the AMA, but to ask a question, you need to be a Reddit member.

The producers for State of Syn have provided a how-to for the AMA over here: Instructions

According to his twitter, David is quite nervous about the AMA. So head on over and offer some love to the man who brought us McKay!

UPDATE: THE AMA PAGE IS HERE.

 

Stargate Alums Attached to Bell Media Projects

Canadian multi-media company Bell Media has announced 29 new drama projects in development. Several Stargate alums from in front of and behind the camera are ‘attached’ to the projects, meaning they have agreed to participate in the project if it goes forward. This includes one in which David Hewlett and Kate Hewlett would once again ‘play’ brother and sister! Stay tuned to see which projects make it all the way to the small screen, in Canada and elsewhere. Here are the projects with Stargate folks attached:

AKA
A serialized drama about a woman with the perfect life – and a dark secret that could change everything.
Attached:

  • Thunderbird Films
  • Paul Mullie and Joseph Mallozzi (STARGATE SG-1)

ECHOES
Serialized series in which Earth becomes the battlefield for two warring extraterrestrial species, and humanity struggles to survive.
Attached:

  • Don Carmody Productions
  • Carl Binder (STARGATE UNIVERSE)

SOUL HUNTER
After literally making a deal with the Devil, a young woman must capture 100 escaped souls and return them to Hell in order to get her life back.
Attached:

  • Thunderbird Films
  • Robert C. Cooper (STARGATE SG-1)

STRAIN
When an estranged brother and sister inherit their mother’s sci-fi-writing empire, they learn the truth behind some surprising lies.
Attached:

  • Pier 21 Films
  • David Hewlett (STARGATE SG-1), Kate Hewlett (INSECURITY), and Craig Wallace (TODD & THE BOOK OF PURE EVIL)

 

Hewlett, Staite’s ‘State of Syn’ Debuts on Hulu Plus

State of Syn, an unconventional sci-fi series, is now available for viewing on Hulu Plus! Starring Stargate alums Jewel Staite and David Hewlett, State of Syn is set in a corporate-ruled world of 2043. Its first season consists of 10 seven-minute episodes and is described by USA Today as a ‘futuristic motion comic’. Staite plays the main character, investigating the mysterious death of her father. Hewlett appears to be her nemesis, as he is her father’s former business partner and head of a corporation producing a highly addictive new drug.

As the preview below shows, the series is not filmed as conventional action, but rather a hybrid of motion and comic-like still images, with narration. It looks very interesting, and we hope it earns a following on Hulu Plus!

Michael Shanks Projects Nominated in Canada

Mr. Hockey movie poster
Mr. Hockey movie poster

The 2014 nominations for the Canadian Screen Awards (CSA) were announced today. The CSAs honor movies, television, and digital media created in Canada. We are very happy to see that Michael Shanks is nominated, and projects he has worked on in the past year are also honored with nominations. Here are the nominations for Michael and his projects (here is the full list):

Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story

  • Best Dramatic Mini-Series or TV Movie
  • Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic
  • Program or Mini-Series: Michael Shanks
  • Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series: Andy Mikita (also a Stargate director!)
  • Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series: Kathleen Robertson

Saving Hope

  • Best Original Music Score for a Series, Episode: Wishbones
  • Best Production Design or Art Direction in a Fiction Program or Series, Episode: The Face of the Giant Panda
  • Best Sound in a Dramatic Program or Series, Episode: Wishbones
  • Best Writing in a Dramatic Series, Episode: Wishbones
  • Best Achievement in Casting, Episode: I Watch Death

Saving Hope is currently airing its second season in Canada. Unfortunately, it is not airing in the US or most other countries. We are hopeful it will be released on DVD or on-line media for non-Canadian viewers very soon.

Congratulations to all of the nominees, and good luck at the awards events from March 3-9, 2014 in Toronto and Montreal!

 

Follow Goings On at Chicago Con

This weekend is the annual Stargate convention in Chicago, run by Creation Entertainment. This year as always features many of the Stargate actors, including Joe Flanigan, David Hewlett, Amanda Tapping, Ben Browder, and many others! To see all the great photos and very abbreviated con reports, check out the #sgchi tag on twitter:

#SGChi on twitter

Also be sure to follow @dhewlett, who has been tweeting funny tidbits as well One definite highlight was the lady who got Joe’s permission to touch his hair while David looked on. It looks like she took full advantage of the opportunity!

Here is a brief report on the panel Joe and David did together: http://journal.joe-flanigan.info/2013/joe-flanigan-at-2013-stargate-chicago-creation-con

Their page seems to indicate that next year, 2014, will be the last Stargate convention by Creation.

7:30 pm UPGRADES for 2014: THE LAST OFFICIAL STARGATE CONVENTION AUGUST 15-17, 2014 IN CHICAGO AT THE WESTIN O’HARE: Here’s where folks who signed up for next year get to try to get an even better seat! You See next page for details.

A rather sad statement on the passing of an era, we suppose. 🙁