Tag: Rachel Luttrell

MGM Publishes SGA S5 Cast Close-Ups

The Official Stargate website published by MGM has begun a series of interviews featuring the main cast of Stargate Atlantis Season Five. So far, Rachel Luttrell, Robert Picardo, Jewel Staite, and David Hewlett have been featured:

MGM: Close Up: Rachel Luttrell (May 13) – “Teyla has faced many terrifying situations in her time as a part of the Atlantis crew: she’s been kidnapped by Michael, had her mind invaded by a Wraith Queen and faced an erupting volcano to name but a few. But this year, the Athosian has something a little more fundamentally challenging to deal with — becoming a parent.” …

MGM: Close Up: Robert Picardo (May 20) – “Robert Picardo is no stranger to science fiction television, having spent seven years playing the holographic Doctor in Star Trek: Voyager. He first made an impact on the Stargate universe back in Stargate SG-1’s seventh season, when Woolsey arrived at Stargate Command in the wake of Janet Fraiser’s death. It’s fair to say that the character didn’t endear himself to the SG-1 team — but Picardo obviously made himself popular with the show’s producers, because it wasn’t long before the one-off character was back for more. And from that point on, Richard Woolsey was on the road to character recovery.” …

MGM: Close Up: Jewel Staite (May 27) – “Having been introduced as Atlantis’new chief of medicine in season four, Doctor Jennifer Keller quickly established herself as an essential member of the crew — so much so that for season five, she returns as a regular. The addition continues Stargate’s tradition of adopting cast members from other respected science fiction franchises, since the role is played by actress Jewel Staite, who first became popular with audiences as Firefly’s bright and breezy mechanic, Kaylee.” …

MGM: Close Up: David Hewlett (June 3) – “David Hewlett, the actor behind the ever-irritating and indeed, irritated, Dr. Rodney McKay, is enjoying his first period of “down time” since filming on Stargate Atlantis’ fifth season began. According to Hewlett, McKay is having quite a time of it this year — and he’s happy to tell us all about it.” …

Be aware that there may be spoilers for Season Five episodes in these articles.

If the pattern continues, the next interview can be expected to be published on June 10.

Season Five is scheduled to premiere July 11 at 10pm ET/PT on the SCI FI Channel.

Luttrell: Teyla's "Completely Changed"

Teyla

Stargate Atlantis star Rachel Luttrell talked with MGM correspondent Sharon Gosling about her character’s changes due to becoming a single mother in Season Five.

“I think she’s completely changed. Teyla is now a working Momma! She’s had to completely deal with a shift in priorities. She’s decided to re-join the team, but it was a large question for her. It was something that she had to spend a considerable amount of time mulling over. Now, every time she leaves the base, she’s aware of the fact that she might not be coming home to be with her son. So things are very different.”

Things aren’t too different, however, when it comes to Teyla’s kick-ass ways, as Luttrell reassures her fans that Teyla is back in fighting form and has already filmed “a classic Teyla-style fight” for the new season.

Executive producer Joseph Mallozzi reassured fans in his weblog that Teyla will be actively involved in Season Five and even gave a list of episodes her fans should be sure to watch: “We’ll certainly see more of Teyla than we did in season four. As a fan of the character, you’ll no doubt love Search and Rescue, Broken Ties, and The Queen, and no doubt enjoy The Daedalus Variations, Ghost in the Machine, and The Shrine.”

Each season, the writers try to have a focus episode for each character, and this coming season’s feature episode for Teyla is most likely Alan McCullough’s “The Queen”. “Teyla is going to be doing something which is extremely, extremely dangerous! … Let’s just say it has a lot to do with her Wraith DNA and her link to them. It’s going to be something rather dark and challenging,” Luttrell teased.

“Where they will take her for the rest of the year, I don’t know. For me, it’s always been about learning a little bit more about who she is and her people and how that ties her into this galaxy. I just feel that there’s so much that Teyla knows about this place. There are some storylines there.”

To read the complete interview in which Luttrell addresses her real life changes in becoming a mother and her adjustment to returning to the set, visit MGM: Close Up: Rachel Luttrell.

Season Five will be making its premiere this summer (likely, July 11) on the Sci Fi Channel.

SGA S5 to Start Shooting February 19

Listed under “TV Pilots” at the BC Film Commission website, Stargate Atlantis is documented by the Commission to begin its filming of its fifth season on February 19, 2008, and complete it on September 23, 2008:

STARGATE ATLANTIS ~ SEASON V
Pegasus Productions V Inc.
Exec. Prod: Joseph Mallozzi, Paul Mullie, John Smith
Prod: John Lenic
DOP: Michael Blundell, Jim Menard
PD: James Robbins
PM: John Lenic
PC: David Magee
LM: Lorne Davidson
ALM: Dominic Main
Publicist: Brigitte Prochaska
Cast: Joe Flannigan, Jason Mamoa, Ish Kabibble
SPFX Coord: Wray Douglas
Casting: Corinne Clark, Jennifer Page
Extras: Sandra Couldwell
Sched: Feb 19/08 – Sep 23/08
2400 Boundary Rd.
Burnaby, BCV5M 3Z3
TEL: 292-8500
FAX: 292-8550

Interestingly enough, “Ish Kabibble” is listed as a cast member, perhaps because the actual cast members for the new season have not yet been officially announced (note that Joe Flanigan’s and Jason Momoa’s names appear in the list, but are misspelled). Fans corresponding directly with executive producer and co-showrunner Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog have been told that an official announcement is to be issued by the SCI FI Channel, rather than from him directly.

Joe Flanigan stated at his Burbank Creation Con appearance that he had signed up for Season Five, and Mallozzi has discussed continuity issues concerning Jason Momoa‘s hair after Momoa had a major haircut. Mallozzi also confirmed that Rachel Luttrell will be returning for Season Five, and Jewel Staite has mentioned returning to the sets in her personal blog, but hasn’t revealed for which or for how many episodes. And as for how Flanigan and David Hewlett will appear after seeing that they both were sporting beards for the People’s Choice Awards acceptance video, Mallozzi said, “The boys will be beardless for the start of the new season.”

This leaves the status of Paul McGillion (Dr. Carson Beckett), Torri Higginson (Elizabeth Weir), and Amanda Tapping (Col. Samantha Carter) still in question. Mallozzi has reassured the Save Carson Beckett campaigners that the “door will be left open” for Beckett’s return in Season Five. Additionally, the new Weir-Replicator story arc that was started in Martin Gero’s “Be All My Sins Remember’d” leaves Elizabeth Weir fans wondering if Torri Higginson will be returning to reprise her role. Gero reassured them, “Weir’s storyline will be revisited in season 5.” And as for Carter, Mallozzi has expressed his desire to see Amanda Tapping return for Season Five. It should be noted, however, concerning contract negotiations and writing the new episodes, Mallozzi said, “It’s very rare we’ll write a script without having an actor commit beforehand.”

Join Solutions for production coverage of Season Five, and please continue to visit to keep up with Season Four as new episodes are currently being aired on the Sci Fi Channel on Fridays at 10pm Eastern.

SGA S4 Filming Wraps, Actors Find Projects

SGA Season Four Cast
Cast of Season Four of Stargate Atlantis

Introduction

It might seem a bit strange talking about the end of Season Four’s filming just as the episodes are starting to make their world premieres on the Sci Fi Channel, but it’s that time of year once again! Word still hasn’t come from Sci Fi about renewal for a fifth season, though, so whether or not the fond farewells the cast and crew bid each other on Friday, October 5, were to mark the end of a season of filming or the series as a whole remains to be seen. Executive producer and co-showrunner Joseph Mallozzi, looking back over the season’s development, stated in his personal blog, “I’m extremely satisfied with the end-product, and extremely satisfied with all of the hard work put in by the cast, crew, writers – pretty much everyone who stepped up and helped make this such a terrific year.”

As far as what everyone will be doing over the hiatus (the time between filming the seasons), here’s a quick run-down from what we’ve been able to gather from the Internet. If there are more, please add to them in the comment section for this blog entry. 🙂

Joseph Mallozzi

Season Four was the first for Joseph Mallozzi and long-time writing partner Paul Mullie as showrunners for the show. Since Mallozzi has been keeping his personal blog for about a year now, fans have had an exceptional peek into what goes behind such a position. It’s apparent from Mallozzi’s entries that he has many interests, including trying out various restaurants and reading science fiction novels. Concerning how he’ll be spending his time off, Mallozzi wrote, “Well, it really depends. If the show doesn’t get picked up, I’ll probably be working on pilot scripts are heading down to L.A. for meetings. If the show does get picked up, then we’ll be spinning stories and heading off to write – over the hiatus. So, time off in the long-term? No. Time off in the short-term? Sort of. I’m so exhausted that I think I’ll be sleeping straight through next week and well into word on the show’s fate.”

Joe Flanigan

Joe Flanigan will be making some convention appearances this month in Australia (October 13-14) and New Zealand (October 20-22). He revealed at the Comic Con in San Diego earlier this year that MGM has tapped him to star in the remake of the 1991 film Shattered, filming for which was last heard to be starting in November. According to IMDb, the tagline for the 1991 film was “A love he can’t forget. A murder he can’t remember.”

Amanda Tapping

Amanda Tapping has revealed in recent interviews that she’ll be making more webisodes for her on-line serial Sanctuary. She’s working with Stargate veterans Damian Kindler and Martin Wood to create another ten hours of entertainment, which equates to about 40 webisodes. Tapping said in a Sci Fi World interview, “Really, honestly, I just want to get Sanctuary up and going, that’s my main motivation right now.”

Rachel Luttrell

Rachel Luttrell is currently expecting her first child, so right now things are a bit quiet for her as she prepares for this momentous event. Her pregnancy was written into her character Teyla’s story arc for Season Four. Luttrell posted a note to her fans on her official website, “Another season has blown by. And it has been a wonderful one. I will endeavor to attend the party [wrap party held on September 29]…. but my first child may decide to make an appearance at any moment now. Exciting times!”

Jason Momoa

Jason Momoa is a new father! He and partner Lisa Bonet celebrated the birth of daughter Lola Iolani Momoa on July 21. According to one report, Momoa’s mother revealed more about the baby girl: “The middle name means royal hawk, and was chosen as there were hawks flying around [overhead] during the birth. The baby has ‘long legs, lots of black hair, and her lips are the perfect shape.'”

Momoa’s family means a lot to him, as he recently got a large tattoo that represents his family crest on his left forearm that the producers covered for “Adrift” and “Lifeline”, but will reveal in “Reunion”. Momoa gave Flanigan a new guitar at the end of filming for Season Four that is decorated with the same pattern. Fans can see the guitar in a picture Joseph Mallozzi posted in his blog entry for October 1.

David Hewlett

David Hewlett saw his independent film A Dog’s Breakfast distributed on DVD on September 18 (see Solutions Blog story on the release). He’s already working on his next movie’s script, Design of the Dead, which Hewlett talked about in an interview at Eclipse Magazine: “I loved Evil Dead; I loved Fright Night. It’s just that I loved that kind of stuff. And then, strangely, I’m a fan of these Home & Garden kind of home renovation shows. In this bid to become kind of the Martha Stewart of horror, I’ve combined the two. It’s about a design show that goes into this house to give it a new life, and it ends up waking the dead. It’s a lot of fun to write. I’m halfway through it now, so we’ll see how much time I get to sit down and write the rest of it. Right now it’s called Design of the Dead. It just seems in keeping with the Romero films, and the obvious likeness would be Shaun of the Dead, as well. That was sort of an honest appreciation of zombie films — and I just want to make a funny one.”

Hewlett had also said in his blog that he was writing a part in the movie for Christopher Judge.

Hewlett and his partner Jane Loughman are expecting their first child very soon. While waiting, Hewlett quickly noted in his Twitter recently, “Baby really taking its time…going to do this “Helen” movie next week now!” This movie stars Ashley Judd and is scheduled to film from October 9 to December 11 in Vancouver.

Jewel Staite

Jewel Staite recently finished filming some scenes in Panama for her new movie The Tribe. In a recent interview at SCI FI WIRE, Staite revealed a little more about the film: “It’s basically about a girl who starts off as being very meek and kind of subservient and scared about life in general and then really has to step up to the plate and become the leader, become the alpha in the situation. So it was really fun to play. It was a really complex character, and, yeah, it should be coming out next summer.”

In her latest MySpace blog entry, Staite answered a few questions from her fans, one being about the roles she chooses to play: “I love that I get these smart women roles, but it’s also fun to play the helpless victim sometimes, when it’s written well. What’s really great is someone who starts out as helpless and grows into the hero. Or superhero. That flies. And kicks ass.”

Staite is scheduled to appear at the Collectormania 12 Convention in Milton Keynes, England (October 26-28).

Season Four Continues…

Season Four of Stargate Atlantis continues on the Sci Fi Channel on Friday, October 12, at 10pm Eastern, with “Reunion”.

Canada's "The Province" Visits the Stargates

Reporters were invited to Bridge Studios last week and were given a tour of the sets for Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. Several of the actors from both shows also got some time in with the reporters, and the some of the cast of SG-1 shared what they’ll be doing now that the two movies have completed filming.

Stargate secrets revealed at last

In this article by Frank ‘Teal’c’ Luba, readers are given a brief description of the various departments and sets involved with the shows’ production. Of course, the tour began in the ‘Gate Room at Stargate Command, and then proceeded through General Landry’s office (decorated with Beau Bridges’ family photos), Atlantis’ Gate Room, puddle jumpers, and the set for Stargate: Continuum (spoilery comments, so beware!). Luba also visits the in-house special effects, set decoration, and props departments.

Luba also mentions Andee Frizzell while she’s being made to look like a Wraith Queen, Jason Momoa as he plays his electric guitar in his trailer, and Joe Flanigan as he zooms by on his skateboard.

Visit Canada.com for the full story.

Stargate cast members ready for new portals

In this article, Frank Luba shares some of his time with the cast of Stargate SG-1 and determines what each will be doing after the filming of Stargate: Continuum completes:

  • Amanda Tapping – She’s now a regular cast member of Stargate Atlantis and comments on the pressure she feels to continue the franchise.
  • Christopher Judge and Michael Shanks – Judge has written a pilot for MGM called “Rage of Angels” that is about “Archangel Michael dying on Earth” and in which Shanks will play Lucifer. There’s the possiblity that the pilot will be shot in British Columbia.
  • Ben Browder – He plans to spend more time with his family after only seeing them for 15 hours during the last five weeks. He might be coaching football and high school pole vault.

As far as Stargate Atlantis stars go, David Hewlett is writing a movie script called “Design of the Dead”, and Luba comments on how the writers cleverly worked around Rachel Luttrell’s pregnancy.

To read the complete article, visit Canada.com.

[Thanks to PG15 for the tip.]

Luttrell On Teyla's S4 Development

Confirming hints from Joe Mallozzi’s blog over the past couple of months, Rachel Luttrell recently revealed she is pregnant and discussed how Atlantis is handling her pregnancy. From SCI FI Wire:

Rachel Luttrell, who plays the fierce warrior Teyla on SCI FI Channel’s original series Stargate Atlantis, told SCI FI Wire that the producers are writing her real-life pregnancy into the show’s fourth-season storyline.

“They’re golden,” Luttrell said in an interview on the show’s Vancouver, Canada, set. “It’s not only the fact that she’s going to have this darker side, but also the fact that she’s going to be faced with taking care of someone who may be the last of her kind. There are so many interesting colors that are now coming out.”

Luttrell said that she is shooting her roles out of sequence so that her pregnancy doesn’t affect her ability to perform action sequences. She’ll actually have more action sequences than before. “From the get-go, this has been the most physical season for me thus far,” Luttrell said. “It’s almost like they were, ‘Oh, my God, let’s get it in all at once.’ I guess at this point forward they probably will [cut back some].”

Stargate Atlantis has already begun shooting its fourth season, and there are changes in store for her character beyond the pregnancy, Luttrell said. “There have been little things that have been touched on throughout the past seasons: The fact that she has these powers that are innate to her, her physiology, etc.,” she said. “So we expand that a little bit in terms of her links to the Wraith.”

Luttrell added that Teyla may also find a little romance. “She actually does have a love interest that she’s been hiding from everybody,” she said with a laugh. “We haven’t met him yet. I haven’t met him yet. I hope I’m part of the casting process.” Stargate Atlantis is wrapping up the second half of its third season in its regular timeslot, Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The fourth season will kick off later this year.

In spite of the new romantic interest, there is no word on who is the father of Teyla’s child.

2006 SyFy Portal Genre Award Nominations

Nominations

BEST ACTOR/Television
Ben Browder, “Stargate SG-1”
Christopher Eccleston, “Doctor Who”
Nathan Fillion, “Firefly”
Matthew Fox, “Lost”
Edward James Olmos, “Battlestar Galactica”

BEST ACTRESS/Television
Caroline Dhavernas, “Wonderfalls”
Jennifer Love Hewitt, “Ghost Whisperer”
Evangeline Lilly, “Lost”
Mary McDonnell, “Battlestar Galactica”
Billie Piper, “Doctor Who”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR/Television
Adam Baldwin, “Firefly”
Jamie Bamber, “Battlestar Galactica”
James Callis, “Battlestar Galactica”
Terry O’Quinn, “Lost”
Michael Shanks, “Stargate SG-1”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS/Television
Amy Acker, “Alias”
Tricia Helfer, “Battlestar Galactica”
Rachel Luttrell, “Stargate: Atlantis”
Grace Park, “Battlestar Galactica”
Katee Sackhoff, “Battlestar Galactica”

BEST ACTOR/Movie
Christian Bale, “Batman Begins”
Nathan Fillion, “Serenity”
Daniel Radcliffe, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”
Mickey Rourke, “Sin City”
Hugo Weaving, “V for Vendetta”

BEST ACTRESS/Movie
Zooey Deschanel, “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”
Summer Glau, “Serenity”
Natalie Portman, “V for Vendetta”
Gina Torres, “Serenity”
Emma Watson, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”

BEST YOUNG ACTOR
Dakota Fanning, “War of the Worlds”
Carter Jenkins, “Surface”
Malcolm David Kelly, “Lost”
Daniel Radcliffe, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”
Emma Watson, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”

BEST WEB SITE
Bloody Disgusting
GateWorld
Kryptonsite
SciFi Wire
Whedonesque

BEST SPECIAL GUEST/Television
Claudia Black, “Avalon, Part 1,” Stargate SG-1
Michelle Forbes, “Pegasus,” Battlestar Galactica
Kelsey Grammer, “Death Takes a Holiday,” Medium
Christina Hendricks, “Trash,” Firefly
Connor Trinneer, “Michael,” Stargate: Atlantis

BEST EPISODE/Television
“Dalek,” Doctor Who
“Downloaded,” Battlestar Galactica
“Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2,” Battlestar Galactica
“Scar,” Battlestar Galactica
“Trash,” Firefly

BEST SERIES/Television
Battlestar Galactica
Doctor Who
Firefly
Lost
Wonderfalls

BEST MOVIE
Batman Begins
Chronicles of Narnia
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Serenity
V for Vendetta

GENE RODDENBERRY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDJ.J. Abrams, producer/writer
Gene Coon, producer
Dan Curtis, producer
Stan Lee, comic book creator
Ronald D. Moore, producer/writer
William Shatner, actor

http://www.syfyportal.com/

From Mike at SyFy Portal

Hello, everyone!

This is very unfortunate because we cannot post this on our own site since we’re still trying to recover from the hack, but I’m releasing the SyFy Genre Awards nominees for 2006.

Please note that the voting is expected to start June 25 and last until July 25. However, because of the site hack and the fact that our programmer Leigh Ashton has been concentrating on getting us back online instead of devoting time he had scheduled to get the nomination forms up, a possibility remains that we may have to delay the start of voting.

I can assure you that Leigh is working very hard around the clock to try and get everything back up among all the other things that also have him occupied on his schedule. We know he will do his very best to get this back up.

This was going to come with some trivia notes about the Genre Awards and such, which we included in our all-staff posting. However, in trying to correct the hack, we did a system restore, which cost us several message board posts, including that one. So, I apologize for the lack of trivia.

We will keep everyone updated on when voting begins. But in the meantime, spread the news far and wide who’s been nominated!

For more details on the SyFy Genre Awards including past winners, click here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SyFy_Genre_Awards

[Thanks to Sueb45 for posting at Our Stargate.]

David Hewlett Writes, Directs Indie Film

From Sci Fi Wire comes the welcome news that David Hewlett did indeed film his own movie script during the Stargate Atlantis haitus. He had mentioned planning to do so during recent interviews. From SCI FI Wire:

Atlantis’ Hewlett Directs His Pals

Stargate Atlantis star David Hewlett, who plays the irascible genius Rodney McKay, told SCI FI Wire that he has enlisted fellow Atlantis stars and crew members to work on his independent feature film, A Dog’s Breakfast, in which he makes his feature writing and directing debut. The movie centers on squabbling siblings Patrick and Marilyn, who are driven over the edge when Marilyn brings home her new TV-star fiancé from the space soap opera Starcrossed. Patrick tries to drive a wedge between the happy couple … then he reaches for sharper instruments.

In addition to Hewlett, the movie features Atlantis co-stars Rachel Luttrell (Teyla) and Paul McGillion (Dr. Beckett), as well as Stargate SG-1 star Christopher Judge (Teal’c). The film’s crew includes Stargate producer John G. Lenic, cinematographer Jim Menard and an amalgamation of the Atlantis and SG-1 shooting crews. The cast also includes Amanda Byram. Hewlett is also working with his real-life partner, producer Jane Loughman, and his sister, actress Kate Hewlett.

Is the film’s storyline a thinly disguised version of Hewlett’s own life? “Let’s just say that it’s based on a true story,” he said in an e-mail interview. “Starcrossed is just an excuse to see Rachel (Luttrell) dressed as a sexy alien again, as it’s been far too long.”

A Dog’s Breakfast is wrapping production, which took place in and around Vancouver, Canada, where the two Stargate series also film. The movie does not have distribution yet. “At the end of February, we should have a cut of the movie together and will start sending it out to festivals and for distribution,” producer Lenic said.

Does A Dog’s Breakfast mean Hewlett really wants to direct? “All I really want right now is a holiday,” he said. Stargate Atlantis airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT, immediately after Stargate SG-1.

Gateworld has obtained a synopsis of the movie’s plot and some wonderful production photos. Enjoy those at Gateworld.

Sci Fi Magazine Q&A Transcript

We’ve created a full transcript of the already-released February 2006 Sci Fi Magazine Q&A that used questions submitted by fans. Included in our article are all the print and on-line Q&A’s for Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, arranged by cast and crew member.

Enjoy the Q&A here!