Category: SG-1

Includes the 10 seasons of SG-1 and the post-S10 movies.

SG-1 Spoilers: Browder on Continuum

Browder talks about working with Richard Dean Anderson

Stargate: Continuum, the second of SG-1’s direct-to-DVD movies, is currently filming in a very unique location. Several press releases have talked about this location, but in the interest of those who are trying to avoid spoilers, here’s a fair warning that this article contains them! 🙂

Details

Ben Browder attended the Sci Fi Channel’s Upfront Press Party held on March 21 in New York City as a representative of Stargate SG-1 and the franchise. This was the first year that Sci Fi had actors from their original programming present at the event. Photographer Peter Kramer of Getty Images captured Browder for some individual photographs that show off his non-Air Force length hair.

Browder might need the extra protection of his longer hair style in the cold of the Arctic as he films scenes for Continuum with Richard Dean Anderson (Gen. Jack O’Neill) and Amanda Tapping (Lt. Col. Samantha Carter) from March 23 through March 29. Their camp will call for very close quarters, the sharing of “hooches” with others of the crew, including Anderson himself. Browder said that he’ll be returning with lots of “Rick stories.”

To read more about Browder’s time at the Party and his trip to the Arctic, visit Multichannel News: Dear Ben Browder: Wear Many Layers

[Thanks to ShardsofGlass for the info.]

SG-1 Spoilers: Tapping on Filming Continuum

Introduction

There have been several news releases recently concerning the unique filming location that will be featured in Stargate: Continuum, the second direct-to-DVD movie written by Brad Wright and directed by Martin Wood, as well as about Richard Dean Anderson’s reprising his role as Jack O’Neill. Amanda Tapping has posted at her official website about getting ready for her special trip to film scenes with Ben Browder and Anderson.

The following contains spoiler information on a filming location for the movie:

A Note from Amanda Tapping

From: The Official Amanda Tapping Website:

Tomorrow I leave for the Arctic! AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! Ben, Richard and myself will be filming up at the APLIS camp.

We fly out of Prudhoe Bay onto the ice, just south of the North Pole.

The temperature the other day was -82 with the wind chill !!!!!!!!!!! We are to be on constant alert for Polar Bears and frost bite!

I will take lots of pictures and post them for you when I get back.

SG-1 Spoilers: Wright and Anderson on Continuum

Introduction

Stargate: Continuum is the second direct-to-DVD movie that will be produced over the next few months, aiming for a fall of 2007 release. Brad Wright is writing the script, Martin Wood is directing, and Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper are producing this stand-alone story. Stargate SG-1‘s Season Ten cast members are returning to continue bringing the teammembers to life once more for the show’s fans.

The following contains comments from Brad Wright and Richard Dean Anderson concerning Anderson’s reprising his role as Jack O’Neill. There is also spoiler information on a filming location for the movie:

MGM Makes Announcement

From: Richard Dean Anderson Web Site:

RICHARD DEAN ANDERSON JOINS CAST FOR MGM’S
NEW STARGATE: CONTINUUM

Former Stargate SG-1 Actor and Executive Producer Travels to North Pole Location to Reprise His Role as General Jack O’Neill

LOS ANGELES, CA. March 20, 2007 — Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) today announced that Richard Dean Anderson will be reprising his role as General Jack O’Neill for the Studio’s upcoming Stargate: Continuum.

Anderson will join cast members Ben Browder (Stargate SG-1’s Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell) and Amanda Tapping (Lt. Col. Samantha Carter) in shooting on location in the sub-zero climate of the Arctic where the production is working in collaboration with the U.S. Navy’s Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station (APLIS) for the week of March 23 through 29.

Brad Wright

From SCI FI WIRE: Anderson Enters Stargate: Continuum:

“We’re thrilled to have Richard join us for Stargate: Continuum,” Brad Wright, co-creator of the Stargate franchise and writer/executive producer for the latest installment for the property, said in a statement. “As Gen. Jack O’Neill, Richard brings both a sense of history and familiarity to the continuing adventures of the Stargate team. And we all recognize his value as the much-loved hero among the Stargate fan base.”

Richard Dean Anderson

From Richard Dean Anderson Web Site:

“I have agreed to play with the kids in Vancouver, again, in the form of a movie which we hope will stand on its own. In other words, I’ll be doing Brad’s movie; don’t know how much or how little, but I’m in.”

Playback Mag: Anderson in Continuum

More information about the upcoming shoot

Recently, information concerning the very unique filming location for SG-1’s second movie, Continuum, was released. The shoot is scheduled for March 23 to 29 and includes Ben Browder (Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell) and Amanda Tapping (Lt. Col. Samantha Carter). Playback Magazine has added one more actor to this list!

The following contains spoilers about one of the filming locations:

Details

According to Playback Magazine, Richard Dean Anderson (Jack O’Neill) will be at the week-long shoot in the Arctic. The article, written by Marise Strauss, stated, “Continuum, produced by MGM Studios, will shoot in the Arctic March 23-29 with an 18-member crew, including veteran director Martin Wood (Stargate SG-1), DOP Peter F. Woeste and cast members Ben Browder, Amanda Tapping and Richard Dean Anderson.”

Strauss also talked with writer and producer Brad Wright concerning the special location and stated that Wright and MGM’s executive Charles Cohen will be going to the location for a few days as well. Wright stated, “I think it’s the first time any production of any size has gone to do something of this scope, in terms of shooting on the arctic ice with a U.S. nuclear submarine.” This submarine is the USS Alexandria.

Wright didn’t say anything more about Anderson’s appearance, but this article is the first to mention his being present at this shoot. No further information concerning Anderson’s involvement with the movie has been released.

According to Wright, the possibility exists that both SG-1 movies will be broadcast on TV, even though they are being filmed with the direct-to-DVD format in mind. He said, “We hope that Sci Fi Channel will jump on board.”

Read the full article here: Stargate goes nuclear.

[Thanks to wraithfodder for the tip.]

SG-1 Spoilers: Continuum

ComingSoon.net features unique filming location

Stargate: Continuum is the second direct-to-DVD movie planned to be filmed this year for release in the fall. It has been described as a “stand-alone” type story, with writer and producer Brad Wright hoping that it will encourage the fans to get used to the new format for telling SG-1 stories now that the series has ended its ten-year run on television.

The following includes spoilers concerning one of the filming locations for the movie.

Details

ComingSoon.net has an article featuring an Arctic location shoot: “Stargate: Continuum, which is being co-financed by MGM and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, will shoot a variety of scenes on location in the Arctic ice, located approximately 200 nautical miles north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. In addition to the frigid outdoor environments, the filming will also involve U.S. Navy submarine USS Alexandria (SSN-757). Among the most visually stunning and dramatic scenes to be filmed at the location involves the submarine as it bursts through the ice and into the cold Arctic air with temperatures hovering around 50 degrees below zero.”

Hints about this special filming location for the movie started early on, including those from N. John Smith in an interview with MGM in December for their official SG-1 website and from Michael Shanks at the Creation Con in Burbank this past November. Smith said that the movie would have an “Ice Station Zebra” location and Shanks mentioned the submarine.

Executive producer Joseph Mallozzi has also been keeping fans up-to-date in his personal blog. He told of the preparation for the scenes to be filmed in the Arctic: “Those heading up North for the shoot were regaled with sobering warnings on thin ice, wandering polar bears, and wind gusts that freeze exposed skin in less than three seconds. But assurances were made that everyone would be accompanied by “someone with ice experience”. Like, say, a shotgun-toting Dorothy Hamel?”

The conditions for filming in the extreme cold definitely warranted the extra briefings to the cast and crew. In the ComingSoon.net article, U.S. Navy Lt. Erik Reynolds, the Department of Defense project officer assigned to the movie, stated, “With the extreme environmental conditions at the camp, and factors such as shooting on a moving sheet of ice and the occasional polar bear, it certainly will be a challenge, but one that our sailors and the ‘SG-1’ crew look forward to taking on.”

According to the article, Ben Browder (Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell) and Amanda Tapping (Lt. Col. Samantha Carter) will be among the cast members going up north for the shoot, scheduled for the week of March 23 to 29. Martin Wood, now confirmed as the director of the movie, will also be making the trip along with the filming crew.

For more information about the Arctic shoot, please visit ComingSoon.net: Stargate: Continuum to Film Scenes in the Arctic.

[Thanks to Starxgate for the tip.]

SG-1 Spoilers: The Ark of Truth

Introduction: Spoilers

SG-1’s first DVD movie is Stargate: The Ark of Truth and is written and directed by Robert C. Cooper. This story is the conclusion of the Ori storyarc which was started in Season Nine of Stargate SG-1. Cooper mentioned that the story covered in the movie was originally intended for SG-1’s eleventh season, but plans changed when the SciFi Channel cancelled the show in August 2006. Season Ten of SG-1 leaves fans in a bit of a cliffhanger that the movie will resolve.

The following contains some plot details of the movie, as well as some from the last half of Season Ten.

Details

Vala’s husband Tomin survived the events of “Line in the Sand” and surrenders to Vala for help in stopping the crusade he had once faithfully served. The team flew a cargo ship to Dakara where an Ori warship is in orbit. They eliminated the Prior, but were left with no means to pilot the warship. Tomin warned them that another warship was not far behind, so they decided to leave the warship in orbit, not wishing to kill anyone onboard.

Tomin has warned Vala that there is to be another wave of warships coming through the Supergate soon with Earth as the primary target.

Apparently, since this time, the team has searched for the Ark of Truth, but has not been successful in locating it.

The IOA sends a representative, James Merek, who is substituting for Richard Woolsey who is tied up with the Atlantis Expedition. He is there to interrogate Tomin. Immediately, he questions Mitchell’s decision to leave the Ori warship in orbit over Dakara instead of destroying it. He points out that the warship should have been eliminated, but Mitchell said there were people onboard. Mitchell stated that their hope was that they’d not have to kill any more crusaders once the Ark is uncovered, but they haven’t found it. Merek reminds Mitchell and Landry that the SGC would not exist if it weren’t for the IOA, and then goes to interrogate Tomin.

Merek interrogates Tomin in a small room as Vala, Mitchell, and Teal’c look on from behind a two-way mirror. Tomin tells him that he has already told them all that he knows, but Merek attempts to shake Tomin up with pointed questions, such as how many innocent people he has personally killed in the crusade. Tomin is struggling with the fact that he has been following false gods, and Merek attempts to make sure he is telling the truth instead of leading them on with false information. Merek wants more information about how to defend against the attack.

Vala becomes upset at Merek’s treatment of Tomin. They had treated him as a guest up to this point, but Merek is treating him like a prisoner. Tomin wants to go with Vala and her team to help them make contact with an Anti-Ori underground and locate a place called Ortus Mallum [possibly the location of the Ark, but no details are available as to the significance of this place].

Production

Written by: Robert C. Cooper
Directed by: Robert C. Cooper
Before cameras: April 15, 2007 for about four weeks.

Guest Cast

  • Tomin (Tim Guinee)
  • James Merek of the IOA

Spoilers are subject to change as this film is in production.

Cooper Starts Blog on Official MGM Site (Update)

Fan interaction with Cooper awaits!

Executive producer Joseph Mallozzi recently announced in his personal blog that “Rob Cooper will be starting a blog over on the MGM Stargate site. I’m sure he’d love to hear from the fans, and is eager to field any questions they may have regarding the first SG-1 movie.”

The MGM Site is slow-loading for those on dial-up, but offers registered fans the opportunity to post comments and ask questions about what is happening in the Stargate SG-1 production office. Cooper hasn’t posted in his blog as of yet, but here’s his introduction that is posted in his profile space, which is the site of his future blog, at http://stargatesg1.com/RobertCCooper:

Robert C. Cooper is a Canadian writer, director, and producer. He is currently an executive producer of both “Stargate SG1” and “Stargate Atlantis”. Cooper is responsible for creating much of the backstory of the Stargate universe. Cooper created the Ancients, the race that built the stargates and he also came up with the four race alliance idea. Most of the episodes that Cooper writes end up on fan-favourite episode lists. He made his directorial debut in the “Stargate Sg-1” season 9 episode “Crusade”. He currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Cooper is penning and directing the first SG-1 movie, entitled “Stargate: The Ark of Truth” (spoilers in that link!), in which we’ll see the conclusion of the Ori story arc that was launched in Season Nine. According to interviews conducted in December 2006, all of SG-1’s main cast members have signed on to appear in the movie except for Beau Bridges. Whether Richard Dean Anderson will appear in the movie is also currently uncertain. Filming of the movie will take approximately four weeks beginning April 15. The movie will be released directly to DVD sometime in the fall this year, but MGM is also seeking broadcast opportunities.

Addendum: February 5

It appears that Robert C. Cooper has withdrawn his profile page from the Official MGM Site. According to the Support page: “Robert C Cooper found that he would be too busy at the moment for his blog so it’s been removed. When he has more time it will return. Sorry for the inconvience.”

The link for Cooper’s page is currently inactive.

Press Release Details SG-1 Movie Plots

More details emerge

In a press release at Business Wire, the plot details of the two direct-to-DVD movies being produced this year for fall release have been provided (WARNING: Spoilers follow):

MGM Greenlights New Stargate Movies
Studio Continues Record Breaking Franchise by Releasing “Stargate: The Ark of Truth” and “Stargate: Continuum”

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) announced today the extension of the hit “Stargate SG-1” franchise with two movies based on the popular series. Titled “Stargate: The Ark of Truth” and “Stargate: Continuum”, the movies will both be made available to the television universe and home entertainment marketplace by MGM. The announcement was made by Charles Cohen, Senior Executive Vice President, MGM.

“`Stargate SG-1′ is to MGM Television what the ‘James Bond,’ ‘Pink Panther’ and the ‘Rocky’ franchises are to our feature film unit,” said Cohen. “We are committed to continuing to release new SG-1 content and its `Stargate Atlantis’ spin-off, and we’re also steadfast in our dedication to extending the franchise. ‘Stargate’ is an indelible brand for MGM and we will support it well into the future.”

With its high quality production values, long-term stability in the show’s leadership and strong chemistry between the lead actors in the series, all of whom have big audience appeal, “Stargate SG-1” is the longest-running science-fiction series in U.S. TV history. The series has a strong worldwide fan base and can be seen in over 120 countries. “Stargate SG-1” cast members Ben Browder, Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge, Claudia Black and Michael Shanks are confirmed to star in both movies. Written and produced by Brad Wright and Robert Cooper, the new movies will feature the latest visual and sound effects, providing viewers with a theatrical movie-going experience.

In the first movie, “Stargate: The Ark of Truth” will bring a conclusion to the primary storyline of the past two seasons of the SG-1 television series. More thrills and action-packed scenes are planned for this special event movie, which will be directed by Cooper. The suspense will end as fans will see the conclusion of the epic Ori saga.

In the second movie, “Stargate: Continuum” the SG-1 team is now free to embark on new and exciting adventures throughout the endless Stargate universe.

Below are the synopses for the new “Stargate” movies:

“Stargate: The Ark of Truth”

As SG-1 searches for an Ancient artifact which they hope can defeat the armies of the Ori, they learn more Ori ships are about to be sent through the supergate to launch a final assault on Earth. Daniel discovers that the artifact, the Ark of Truth, may be in the Ori home galaxy, and SG-1 embarks aboard the Odyssey to find it, and pre-empt the attack. The IOA has a plan of their own and SG-1 ends up in a distant galaxy fighting two powerful enemies.

“Stargate: Continuum”

While SG-1 attends the execution of Ba’al, the last of the goa’uld system lords, Teal’c and Vala inexplicably disappear into thin air. Carter, Daniel and Mitchell race back to a world where history has been changed: the Stargate program has been erased from the timeline. As they try to convince the authorities what’s happened, a fleet of goa’uld motherships arrives in orbit, led by Ba’al, his queen, Katesh, (Vala) and his first prime, Teal’c. SG-1 must find the Stargate and set things right before the world is enslaved by the goa’uld.

About Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is actively engaged in the worldwide production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home video, interactive media, music and licensed merchandise. The company owns the world’s largest library of modern films, comprising around 4,000 titles. Operating units include Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc., United Artists Films Inc., MGM Television Entertainment Inc., MGM Networks Inc., MGM Distribution Co., MGM International Television Distribution Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC, MGM ON STAGE, MGM Music, MGM Consumer Products and MGM Interactive. In addition, MGM has ownership interests in international TV channels reaching nearly 110 countries. MGM ownership is as follows: Providence Equity Partners (29%), Texas Pacific Group (21%), Sony Corporation of America (20%), Comcast (20%), DLJ Merchant Banking Partners (7%) and Quadrangle Group (3%). For more information, visit www.mgm.com.

To keep an eye on the progress of the movies, visit Solutions’ movie guides:

[Thanks to prion for the tip.]

Cooper, Wright Talk Stargate's Future

On the new official Stargate site, Robert C. Cooper, Brad Wright, and others give lengthy interviews about where the Stargate franchise is headed. Included in the RCC and BW portions are many new spoilers for the remainder of Season 10 of SG-1, the SG-1 movies, and big news on Atlantis casting. Those interviews appear to have been conducted in December, with Wright’s before Cooper’s. Since the site requires high bandwidth connection, and even then has a hard time getting through an entire interview, we provide a summary of the points of most interest here. Warning: major spoilers!

Robert C. Cooper

  • SG-1’s final episode, “Unending”, will have the team trapped on board a ship, within a time dilation field, for 50 years. We will see how the relationships might develop and evolve. It represents one possible future given a certain set of circumstances. RCC wrote and directed the episode because he wanted to be on set during the emotional final days of filming. He feels it is a fitting end to the 1-hour series era of SG-1. At the end of the episode, the events will be “undone”.
  • The pay-off of the Ori storyline will be in the first DVD movie, which RCC is writing and directing. He had planned it as an arc for Season 11, but will now resolve it in a “very exciting” two hours. MGM has financed the movies based only on projected DVD sales, but are looking for broadcast deals as well. The funding for each of the 2 DVD movies is more than it would be for 2 episodes, but still nowhere near a feature-type budget, so they will be using their creativity to make it look big on a TV-movie budget. All of the main cast have signed for the movie, and they have contacted RDA about appearing as O’Neill in one or both movies. No work on whether that will work out business-wise or not.
  • Because the first DVD movie will be a continuation of Season 10, the DVD will include a 1-hour special on the history of Stargate so that viewers who haven’t seen all of Stargate will know what is going on. The special will be called “Stargate Mythology” and will include material on how real-world ancient mythology has played into the Stargate shows.
  • The second movie is more of a standalone story, although, if the actors are available, it will bring back a lot of fan favorites. The intention is to get fans used to the idea of SG-1 movies, to whet their appetites for more.
  • The movies will not be tied to an exact length, so they can edit them to have all the scenes and shots that make sense for the stories, rather than being tied to 44:15 like they were for episodes. They will also be shot in widescreen 16×9 format without ‘protecting’ the center of the screen, for a movie-like feel.
  • RCC and BW will continue as executive producers of Atlantis even though Joe Mallozzi and Paul Mullie are the show-runners. RCC will be there every day in his office.
  • The movies will keep RCC and BW busy until the summer time. They are writing now, planning of 4 weeks of shooting for each starting in mid April, then the usual post-production.
  • In the meantime they are working on the concept of the 3rd series with MGM. If all goes well, it would go into production sometime in the summer for airing at the beginning of 2008. RCC would only say the series maintains the spirit of Stargate, but opens up a whole new “universe.” They have no idea where the series might air. It is too early to say anything like that.
  • Amanda Tapping will be joining the cast of Atlantis for 14 episodes in Season 4. He recognizes some SGA fans won’t be happy to have SG-1 characters crossing over, but he believes it will encourage SG-1 fans to watch and that AT is a great actress and Carter a very likable character.
  • RCC feels it is totally up to Sci Fi to schedule and promote Atlantis to make sure people know it’s on and watch it.

Brad Wright

  • The first SG-1 DVD movie will be called Stargate: The Ark of Truth. In it, the team will travel to the Ori galaxy. The Ori arc will end with this movie.
  • The second DVD movie will be called Stargate Continuum. It will be a time travel story. He wants to prove it could be the first in a string that could continue the SG-1 legacy. It will feature characters who are dead in current show canon, but can be brought back because of time travel. He would really like RDA to be in one or both movies, but it’s up to RDA and the business side to work it out. At the time of the interview, Beau Bridges was not yet signed for the movies. Wright hopes that Martin Wood will direct the second movie.
  • He thinks Season 3 of SGA was the best so far and hopes and expects Atlantis to go beyond Season 4. He is also very committed to helping and remaining involved.
  • He is very relieved they are making 24 hours of TV this year (20 hours of Atlantis plus 4 hours of DVD movies) instead of 40. That was a ‘stupid’ amount of work to do both shows at once for three years with only one additional writer.
  • He does not feel going direct to DVD for the movies is a bad thing. As home theaters become so good, more and more people prefer to watch movies on DVD. The 16×9 widescreen format gives them a lot more freedom to film in a movie style as well, rather than having to keep all the action in the center of the screen for 4×3 TV’s.
  • If the Stargate Worlds on-line game does well [financially], it will really help the franchise continue.
  • Amanda Tapping will be joining the cast. They have wanted to bring her over for a while, but with SG-1 getting renewed each year, they couldn’t do it.
  • Torri Higginson will be back for some period of time in Season 4, but she will be a recurring character (!). Wright said this in a rather surprising way: that Torri will be back in S4 for some episodes, as if that were good or unexpected news.

SG-1 Movie Spoilers Begin to Emerge

IGN Interviews Michael Shanks

Spoilers for the two SG-1 movies (said to be direct-to-DVD) are starting to emerge. The latest comes from an interview conducted by IGN TV with Michael Shanks, published December 18, 2006.

Shanks qualifies these spoilers with, “Quite frankly that is as much as I know. I haven’t even talked to the guys about it. They told us these pitches in September, so I haven’t talked to anyone since then so that could’ve changed overnight, I have no idea.”

Movie 1: Robert Cooper’s Ori Story

Shanks stated, “As much as I know about the story, the first one Rob is writing and directing has to do with wrapping up the Ori storyline, which is the storyline that has taken prominence for the last two years of the show. I don’t know if he is going to wrap it up completely or bring it to some conclusion for the sake of the fans and the franchise, to bring that epic struggle to a close…I don’t know how he is going to do it in two hours but it will be pretty interesting to watch.”

Movie 2: Brad Wright’s Time Traveling Story

Shanks stated, “And Brad is writing one, as far as I know, is a bit more standalone that will involve some kind of time travel and has something to do with our main mustache twiddling villain Baal doing something in the past that alters…he basically finds a way to lift the stargate from Earth so the Stargate Program never happens, and I imagine the characters will have to go through some process to reset the clock and fix everything over the course of two hours.”

Other Details

  • The movies might be running about two hours each. It isn’t clear if this is the total running time (without commercials) or the time that they’d run if they were broadcast on television with commercials and without cuts.
  • Contract negotiations are just finishing up for the cast, but Shanks didn’t specify which actors would be in each of the movies.

The information about the movies is from the third page of the interview. Along with the previous two pages, Shanks discusses his Women of Sci-Fi Calendar co-produced with Christopher Judge, the cancellation of SG-1, the 200th episode, and what’s in store for the second half of S10 (spoilers), and reflects on his time with the cast and crew over their ten years of production.