SG-1 – Page 22 – Solutions Blog

MGM: "The Ark of Truth: Movie v. TV Show"

Cover art for "Stargate: The Ark of Truth" DVD

MGM’s official Stargate website has added another video clip to their Video Gallery to build up to the release of Robert C. Cooper’s Stargate: The Ark of Truth on DVD on March 11 (North American premiere). This time, the producers Cooper and Brad Wright and the cast talk about how making an SG-1 movie was different from making the TV show. The consensus seems to be that the movie is just “bigger!”

The video clip also has some scenes from the movie, so beware of a few spoilers.

Currently, the DVD is scheduled to be released March 11 in North America, April 9 in Australia, April 14 in the UK, and April 23 in France. There is a “late April” release scheduled for New Zealand, according to New Zealand’s Gameplanet Store.

Cooper had stated in an interview in the Official Stargate Magazine that even though the movie was written differently from the TV show in the number of acts and breaks, it could still be shown on international television before the DVD is released. In addition to the screenings being held in Australia before the DVD’s release in that country, the movie will be televised by Sky One in the UK on March 26 at 8pm, several days before the DVD’s release on April 14.

[Thanks to littleheaven70 and Naonak for their tips.]

"The Ark of Truth": Different Ways to See It

Stargate: The Ark of Truth is the first of the direct-to-DVD movies produced by MGM following the cancellation of the ten-year-old record-breaking series, Stargate SG-1. The movie was written, directed, and produced by Robert C. Cooper so that the fans could see the last chapter of the Ori story arc that was started in Season Nine. “I think that Stargate: The Ark of Truth will hopefully be very satisfying to the fans, and we tried to make it as accessible as possible to people who aren’t as familiar with the franchise,” Cooper recently said in an interview in the March/April issue of the Official Stargate Magazine.

In making it accessible to those who have never seen the show, Cooper added a 10-minute “previously on” compilation of Seasons Nine and Ten to set up the storypoints and character moments that are necessary to get full enjoyment out of the movie. After adding this and other extra features to the DVD release, MGM and Fox have recently begun their promotions of the movie that is to arrive first in North America on March 11. Following this world premiere, DVDs are expected to be released April 9 in Australia, April 14 in the UK, and April 23 in France.

The pre-order sales performance of The Ark of Truth DVD have been very impressive based on the movie’s placement in the Top 25 DVD Bestsellers on Amazon and as #1 in TV Sci-Fi and Fantasy category several weeks before the movie’s release. For Amazon in the UK, the sales rankings have been just as impressive, with its recent placement in the Top 5.

It should be noted that selling the DVD on Amazon is not the only online sales venue that the studio is taking. Amazon Unbox will have the movie available for download in the United States on April 10 for $14.99 (but this version probably doesn’t include the audio commentary and extra features made available only on the DVD, which is currently priced at $16.99).

If you’re going to be in Australia at the end of March or in early April, you might want to consider attending a screening of the movie, sponsored by Supanova:

Great news for Stargate and Supanova fans alike! In conjunction with Twentieth Century Fox, Supanova is screening “Stargate: The Ark of Truth” pre its April 9th DVD release exclusively during both the Melbourne (March 28) and Brisbane (April 4) Preview Nights!

This is a huge coup and further expands the Stargate presence at Supanova with Sonny Whitelaw, author of five Stargate SG-1 & Atlantis novels, and Jennifer Fallon, international best-selling fantasy author, and co-author of Stargate SG-1: Roswell.

Sonny & Jenny will be jointly running intensive World Building Masterclass writers and game designers’ workshops at 4-8pm March 30 (Melbourne) and 4-8pm April 6 (Brisbane). Sydney and Perth workshops later in the year.

Tickets are available through Ticketek. For more information see www.supanova.com.au and www.worldbuildingworkshops.com.

As for the rest of the international community for which a release date has not yet been announced, Cooper said, “It will definitely be out but it might be on television, internationally, prior to the DVD coming out.”

Producers Screen "Stargate: Continuum"

Part of the team in "Stargate: Continuum"

With less than three weeks left before the world premiere of the first direct-to-DVD movie, Robert C. Cooper’s Stargate: The Ark of Truth, producers took the afternoon yesterday to screen Brad Wright’s Stargate: Continuum at Sharpe Sound in Vancouver.

Stargate Atlantis executive producer and co-showrunner Joseph Mallozzi wrote in his personal blog about his reaction to seeing the movie on the big screen: “I really love this movie and, evidently, so did Carl [Binder] who sat beside me, ooohing, aaahing, and laughing throughout the screening. It’s one of those rare productions that both rewards longtime fans of the show, but also offers a great jumping-on point for first-timers.”

Writer and producer Brad Wright explained about the two movies in a recent interview published in the March/April issue of the Official Stargate Magazine, “It just fell to Robert Cooper and I to come up with two movie ideas. We wanted one of them to finish the story that Robert had begun with the Ori in seasons nine and ten and we wanted at the same time to prove that we could just make a stand-alone movie, a Stargate SG-1 movie, and that’s what Stargate: Continuum is.

“I was terribly excited about the movies, but once they’ve been shot and they’re in the can, you’re thinking about the next one, even though this one isn’t finished yet.” He confirmed that they are already pursuing the third movie, not yet announced or titled. “I’ve got a story in mind for movie number three. Robert Cooper and I have discussed it, and I’ve had some preliminary discussions with MGM and Richard Dean Anderson [who also appears in Continuum]. … If the movies are well received, then the third movie will probably be slotted in after production of the third Stargate series [tentatively titled Stargate Universe and pitched to the SCI FI Channel in October 2007], or after Stargate Atlantis [which just began production this week and will conclude sometime in September]. But, if one or the other doesn’t go forward then we’ll probably start shooting our third movie in the spring of 2008 [keep in mind, however, that this interview was conducted before the WGA strike put a temporary halt to Wright’s writing of the script].”

Bus advertising Continuum at San Diego Comic Con 2007

The official world premiere date for Continuum has not yet been announced, but Wright offered, “It will be released in July. It was going to be later, but MGM and Fox decided to take advantage of the energy that comes along with Comi-Con in terms of the release.” At last year’s Comic Con held in San Diego, there were several buses covered in Stargate advertisements, promoting the movies and the two series. According to Mary McNamara at Multichannel News, “MGM’s senior executive vice president of finance and corporate development Charlie Cohen said the studio decorated 10 buses and has already reserved the vehicles for next year.” Comic Con will be held in San Diego from July 24 to July 27 this year, so it is possible that Stargate: Continuum will be released at or around those days (possibly on one of the Tuesdays surrounding the event: July 22 or July 29).

MGM’s Charlie Cohen has been a big player in seeing to the continuation of the Stargate franchise in the form of these direct-to-DVD movies. Wright felt that it was important to include Cohen in the franchise’s legacy, the actual footage, so Cohen has appeared in Stargate Atlantis as an extra. Wright also gave Cohen a cameo appearance in Continuum: “That’s Charlie Cohen, our boss at MGM, pushing Daniel down the corridor in a wheelchair. He loved doing it, and it’s great that he’s part of it.”

Wright concluded, “There will always be Stargate films, that’s inevitable. We’re MGM’s number two franchise after James Bond, so it’s an important franchise and it’s growing still. I don’t see why we can’t do at least one movie a year.”

MGM: "Picking Up Where We Left Off"

MGM’s Official Stargate website has added another video preview to their Video Gallery to lead up to the world premiere of Robert C. Cooper’s Stargate: The Ark of Truth, scheduled for North American release on DVD on March 11. In this video, the cast and executive producers discuss the purpose of the movie: “to finish an arc the series created.”

Thus far, world release dates for the direct-to-DVD movie are:

March 11, 2008: North America
April 9, 2008: Australia
April 14, 2008: UK
April 23, 2008: France

If you’ve heard of other release dates, please leave the information in our comment section below. Thanks!

"The Ark of Truth" Widget for Your Space

How about one of these for your MySpace (and other places):

The widget has images, video clips, and a countdown to the North American release date of March 11, 2008 (links to the FoxStore)! You’ll need the latest version of Adobe Flash Player (and probably a high-speed connection) to see what goodies the widget has to offer!

Click on “Get & Share” for instructions for installation. 🙂

Stargate: The Ark of Truth Movie Guide at the Stargate Solutions Wiki

[Thanks to PuddleJumper67 for the tip!]

Check Out Some Recent Cast Interviews

Ben Browder, Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge, Claudia Black, and Joe Flanigan have given some interviews lately that you might be interested in reading (click on the links to get to the full interviews):

Ben Browder

Ben Browder (spring/summer of 2007) Dreamwatch’s Ben Browder: The ice storm takes a look at the actor’s time in the Arctic while filming for Brad Wright’s Stargate: Continuum, the second direct-to-DVD movie that is slated for release in July this year.

Concerning Cameron Mitchell’s progression, Browder said, “I liked that Mitchell is far more subtle in Season 10 within the context of the team and what he does. We found a good place for him to be…We finally figured out Mitchell’s only superpower is getting beat up and bleeding, which works perfectly for me. I am very happy with the way my superpower developed, which was basically a kind of muddy stigmata. I was pleased with all that. And as it progressed, the writers realised that was something that would add to the show and I was lucky to be the guy to do it.”

Browder also addressed the progress of a new project, which might be his Going Homer mini-series for the SciFi Channel, or something totally different. “I have a project I am writing. I am not sure if I can say anything about it or not. I probably shouldn’t until the negotiations for the project are done. It is a step deal. It is not for Stargate, but completely separate. But it is going to be for TV. I wrote two Farscapes and a script I sold last year. I am very excited about it.”

Amanda Tapping

Amanda Tapping (spring/summer of 2007) Gateworld’s Journey of a Lifetime interview with Amanda Tapping covers her exit from Stargate Atlantis to work full-time as the executive producer and lead actor in SciFi Channel’s new show, Sanctuary. Tapping talked about having longer hair for Col. Samantha Carter and how she’ll be modifying her look (dying her hair dark) for her part as Dr. Helen Magnus.

Carter will be replaced by IOA representative Richard Woolsey, played by Robert Picardo, at the beginning of Season Five. Concerning this change in leadership, Tapping offered, “Carter’s advice to Woolsey would be to get the stick out of his ass. Amanda’s advice to Bob is to have a good time. He will. He will. He’s the type of person that will. I have no doubt, he just makes fun wherever he goes. He’s this really, really easy-going guy.”

Christopher Judge

Christopher Judge (spring/summer 2007) SG-1 fans of Teal’c were/are in for a treat as Christopher Judge made a guest starring appearance in “Midway”, the recent episode of Stargate Atlantis. In honor of his reprisal of the role, TV Guide Online’s Christopher Judge Previews His Return to Stargate! visited with Judge, and the actor shared the joy of his return to the Stargate sets, “You know, anytime they ask me to go there and play, I certainly would. I just had a really great time over there.”

Judge also spoke of the progress he’s making with his new pilot/movie Rage of Angels (co-starring Michael Shanks and co-produced and directed by Brad Turner) and with a new $20 million mini-series for AMC that’s “based on an all-black regiment in World War I, made up of jazz musicians. They were sent to Europe to entertain the troops but were put on the front lines. They were celebrated throughout Europe and ignored when they came home.”

Claudia Black

Claudia Black as Vala (SciFi 3) The SciFi World’s Claudia Black Interview touches mostly on Black’s time with Farscape, on reading for a “talking book” collection of George R.R. Martin’s short stories, and on being a mother (this interview was conducted before Black gave birth to her second son in November 2007).

Concerning her time as Vala Mal Doran for the two SG-1 direct-to-DVD movies and making future appearances, Black said, “I don’t know if I would ever be asked back, who knows, but I think Vala is definitely a character that’s worth pursuing in the future.”

As far as reconnecting with the cast and crew and making convention appearances, Black offered, “But both on camera and off camera there are some certain members of the crew I’ve made some, just delicious friendships with people and just, it’s so good for the soul to connect with those people in person again, so… Yeah, I miss not having that atmosphere with those people everyday but I think there is a particular spirit, there’s a kinship in this business and you find that type of a person whenever you go on to a new job and it always feels like home, so… that you know just this weekend I’ve been able to catch up with Lexa and Michael and Chris and everyone. It’s a real blessing to see them again.”

Joe Flanigan

Joe Flanigan as Sheppard Joe Flanigan appeared at the VES Awards presentation on February 10, and IESB.net caught up with him for a little while to talk to him about his brief time on Women’s Murder Club, which was shut down due to the WGA strike, and about his getting ready to begin filming Season Five of Stargate Atlantis (that’s this week!). He talked about the impact the strike had on both shows and about fan interaction while his wife Katherine stood nearby. Just so you know, Joseph Mallozzi has assured fans in his personal blog that Flanigan will be “beardless” as Lt. Col. John Sheppard upon his return for Season Five.

To play the clip, you’ll need the latest version of Adobe Flash Player.

Cooper: "I Could Make It More Grand"

Morena Baccarin as Adria in "Stargate: The Ark of Truth"

MGM’s Sharon Gosling has published Part 2 of her interview with Robert C. Cooper, writer, director, and producer of Stargate: The Ark of Truth, the first of the SG-1 direct-to-DVD movies. In Ark Angel – The Ark of Truth, Part 2, Cooper said of taking Stargate SG-1 to its next level as a film, “I think I consciously tried to take more time with events. In the show, where you might not have the money to address something with more screen time, I could make it more grand. I could make more of it in the long form.”

Having more money to produce the story gave Cooper the freedom to task composer Joel Goldsmith to “write big sweeping musical pieces that were going to carry sections of the movie.” Cooper continued, “That doesn’t really happen on the show very much. There’s a pace to the series that’s just different. In order to give this a little more scope, a little more of a movie feeling, I wanted to tell some of the story more visually and with big, grand musical accompaniment.”

Not only did Cooper write the script for the movie, but he also directed it. “I will write sequences with an idea in mind of how I want to direct them, so when the time comes to do the directing work, it’s already down on the page. A lot of directors, when they get a script, have to break it down and figure out how they want to shoot it. I’ve imagined it visually in my head as I’ve written it, so I don’t have to go through that process again.”

Julian Sands as the Doci in "Stargate: The Ark of Truth"

One of the biggest challenges faced by the production team was getting all of the cast together again after they had gone their separate ways after the final wrap of Cooper’s series finale “Unending”. Especially difficult was getting Julian Sands (Doci) and Morena Baccarin (Adria) back. Cooper mentioned that they went dangerously into overtime because Baccarin was working on another project and had limited availability (she was filming TNT’s Heartland at the time). Cooper admitted, “Literally, if something had gone wrong that day, the movie might have fallen apart.” When Sands and Baccarin were only available for one day of shooting, the crew had to stay until their scenes were done. “And so we did what we had to in order to make that work, but it ended up being probably the longest day Stargate’s ever shot. We came very, very close to a second meal penalty on the crew, which means we were almost nine hours past the point that we were supposed to be. It was about four in the morning …”

Part 3 of the multi-part interview will cover more about the filming of the movie. Visit MGM’s website for the complete Part 2 (and if you missed Part 1, it’s HERE).

Stargate: The Ark of Truth is due for release on DVD on the following dates:

March 11, 2008: North America
April 9, 2008: Australia
April 14, 2008: UK
April 23, 2008: France

MGM: "Story Line of the Ark" Video Featurette

The MGM Official Stargate website has added a video featurette entitled Story Line of the Ark in which writer, director, and producer Robert C. Cooper and cast members Ben Browder, Amanda Tapping, Beau Bridges, and Michael Shanks tell some of the background behind the story. It’s a short clip, lasting a little over a minute, but it includes small pieces of some of the scenes from the movie.

While you’re at the site, also check out the additional pictures that have recently been added to their Stills Gallery.

Stargate: The Ark of Truth is due out in stores in North America on March 11. Release dates for UK and France are April 14 and April 23, respectively.

[Thanks to siriala for obtaining the release date for France from Amazon.fr]

Cooper: DVD Movies a "Series on Their Own"

Robert C. Cooper, the writer, director, and producer of Stargate: The Ark of Truth, talked with Sharon Gosling of MGM’s official Stargate website about the forthcoming release of his movie and Brad Wright’s Stargate: Continuum directly to DVD. “We decided that we wanted to treat these movies as a way of showing both the studio and the fans that these could become a series on their own.”

In the first part of a multi-part interview that anticipates the release of The Ark of Truth on March 11, 2008 (North America), Cooper talks about how he found out about the cancellation of Stargate SG-1, the new direction for the current cast, and the story behind his movie that was meant to be covered during the show’s Season Eleven. “But for me as a writer, and Charles [Cohen] and Brad [Wright] — we all agreed that the right thing to do for fans that had stuck with the series in seasons nine and ten was to resolve those stories. I felt like there was no ending to the story that I had participated in starting. We had written a lot of stuff that was leading up to this confrontation with the Ori warriors, and we [had] certainly left a lot hanging. As a writer, you want to write the ending! …

“So, even though the first one is really not a standalone — it’s very much a final chapter in the season nine and ten Ori saga, we wanted there to be another, much more standalone adventure to show people that once we had dealt with those Ori issues, we could still go back and tell SG-1 stories, and hopefully continue to do that in the future.”

Read the rest of the interview, which includes some plot spoilers, at MGM: Ark Angel – The Ark of Truth, Part 1.

MGM Begins Promotion of "The Ark of Truth"

MGM's Promotion of 'Stargate: The Ark of Truth'

MGM’s Official Stargate website has commenced a promotional countdown to the release of Robert C. Cooper’s Stargate: The Ark of Truth, scheduled for release directly to DVD on March 11, 2008 (North America). On the main page, the campaign includes a large image with a link to Amazon.com so that visitors can preorder the movie, now priced at $16.99 (US)!

Additionally, MGM plans to release movie stills every week on their images page. The first batch of ten pictures can be viewed in their Stills Gallery.

Stargate: The Ark of Truth closes out the Ori story arc that was started in Season Nine of Stargate SG-1 and includes the Season Ten cast of Ben Browder, Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge, Claudia Black, Beau Bridges, and Michael Shanks.