NEWS & SPOILERS
(Newest information is added to the bottom)
CURRENT STATUS: As of March 2009, the first Stargate Atlantis movie has reached the script-writing stage. Executive producers Paul Mullie and Joseph Mallozzi are doing the honors. No filming date has yet been announced, and at last word the cast had not yet been contacted.
The Atlantis movie will air first on SCI FI Channel in the United States, and then be released on DVD by MGM. It pick up right where the series left off, with the city of Atlantis having landed (cloaked) on Earth ("Enemy At the Gate").
Below you can find additional notes and comments in chronological order, beginning with the network's announcement of the film in August 2008.
"Building upon the successful Stargate franchise, SCI FI Channel today announced it has greenlit a two-hour movie based on the hit science fiction adventure series Stargate Atlantis. SCI FI will have the exclusive worldwide television premiere of the yet to be titled Stargate Atlantis film, which will then be released on DVD by MGM. The movie will be written by Stargate Atlantis' executive producers Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie, who also serve as series showrunners. The movie is set to follow the fifth and final season of Stargate Atlantis, as it draws to its thrilling conclusion in January 2009."
(SCI FI Channel press release, August 21, 2008)
Co-writer Joseph Mallozzi codenamed the Atlantis movie "Project Twilight" during the weeks before it was announced.
"We're excited to tell Atlantis stories on a bigger canvas. The successes of the two original Stargate [direct-to-video] movies The Ark of Truth and Continuum have shown us the opportunities that the movie format offers. We have plans for both SG-1 and Atlantis to remain vital as we expand the franchise."
(Series creators Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper, in a SCI FI Channel press release)
"We share in the producers' enthusiasm to move forward in this direction and we look forward to a strong and continued relationship on Stargate Atlantis in this new format."
(Thomas Vitale, SCI FI's Senior Vice President Programming & Original Movies, in a SCI FI Channel press release)
"Once we realized that with the prospect of another series going forward ... and SG-1 movies going forward, this was the right way for the partnership between MGM and us and SCI FI to go forward. If they weren't in complete agreement on where to go next, if it wasn't a joint decision, there wouldn't be a movie deal already in place."
"The show was doing well. But you don't wait until the show isn't doing well before you try to launch movies. If you are going to go do movies when the show has still got life left in it, that's a good time!"
(Executive producer Brad Wright, in an interview with GateWorld)
"I can't predict whether an ongoing series of Atlantis-based movies will prove successful. However, if the performance of the two SG-1 movies is anything to go by, the audience is out there."
"[The film] will be more [like] Continuum than Ark of Truth in that it will continue the story of Atlantis in a one-off offering. While the adventure will be stand-alone, the character moments will certainly draw on past experiences and future potential."
"While I like the idea of some crossover [with SG-1], I think SG-1 movies should be SG-1 movies and Atlantis movies Atlantis movies. Two movies of each a year would be a true best case scenario."
(Executive producer Joseph Mallozzi, in an interview with GateWorld)
"I think these things lend themselves to a bigger, kind of high-production-value, two hour event, which is great.
"... There's obviously a passionate audience for Atlantis and the characters of Atlantis. And yes, they're absolutely going to continue in the movie franchise. But people need to mourn for a while and come to terms with it. I don't anticipate that that will subside quickly."
(SCI FI president David Howe, in an interview with Multichannel News)
"Rumor has it [that the third SG-1 DVD movie will shoot] late spring / early summer of next year, but I honestly couldn't tell you beyond that. I know Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis will be shooting movies at that time."
("Samantha Carter" actress Amanda Tapping, at a SCI FI Channel news conference)
This brief statement was the first indication of a time frame for the film's production at The Bridge Studios in Vancouver, B.C. As of March, the film has not been given an official green light for filming. Actress Rachel Luttrell ("Teyla Emmagan") told GateWorld in an interview that neither she nor other members of the Atlantis cast had yet been contacted about the film (see below).
Executive producer Joseph Mallozzi stated that this doesn't mean it has been postponed (see below) -- indicating that the summer shooting date was probably never set.
"A wormhole drive is just that -- a drive that sends the ship through a wormhole, like a person stepping through an active gate. The advantage being that you don't 'travel' through hyperspace for hours on end. You get de-molecularized, or whatever you want to call it, and then spit out at the other end a few seconds later. It's basically instantaneous, which is why I needed it as a device in ['Enemy At the Gate']. Some people have complained that it was a bit of a deus ex-machina, to which I don't really have much of a defense.
"At one point, Brad was thinking about using this as a set-up for a similar drive in Stargate Universe, but he's since changed his mind. But since it IS set up now, Joe and I do intend to use it as part of the story for the Atlantis movie."
(Executive producer Paul Mullie, in a Q&A at Joseph Mallozzi's blog)
"None of us really know what's going on, and if it happens, great! Last I heard was that they were just going to kind of see how things played out in terms of viewership with Universe and potentially viewership with the SG-1 films that they have already shot [airing in March and April, 2009].
"There are a lot of 'ifs' in place. And if it was going to happen I would be surprised if it happened this year."
("Teyla" actress Rachel Luttrell, in an interview with GateWorld)
Since the city of Atlantis and its Stargate are now on Earth (having landed, cloaked, in the San Francisco Bay at the end of the series finale), which Stargate on Earth now takes precedence for incoming wormholes? "I believe the Pegasus gate takes precedence," executive producer Joseph Mallozzi said on his blog.
NEW! March 26 - What does movie writer-producer Joseph Mallozzi think of the rumors that the film has been postponed or cancelled? "Neither postponed nor cancelled. If there's a change in plans, I'll let everyone know."
(Writer-producer Joseph Mallozzi, in a post at his blog)
NEW! April 7 - "Allow me to clarify a few things about the Stargate Atlantis movie. Back in the 2008, we floated the possibility of shooting a two-hour Atlantis movie. The idea was to roll right into it right after episode 20 and then play it by ear. If the show got picked up for a sixth season, those two hours would form the first two episodes. In the event the show was not picked up, then we'd already have a movie in the can.
"Alas, Project Twilight (which is what I dubbed the two hour event at the time) didn’t come to pass. The series ended and focus shifted to Stargate Universe. But not ALL of the focus because the intention has always been to make a movie. Actually, the focus has been to make two movies: an SG-1 movie, and an Atlantis movie.
"Now many of you are asking: 'Hey, we hear that production on the Atlantis movie is being held up by the economy and yet, you have the money to make a new series and that SG-1 movie. What gives?' Well, first of all, it's not a simple matter of us getting a whack of money and being able to pick and choose the projects we want to apply it to. Each production whether it be SGU, SG-1, or SGA, is contingent on their respective deals. And no two deals are alike. Furthermore, part of a project's production budget is made up of licensing fees from various broadcasters, sales to various territories both domestic and international. Now these entities are a fickle bunch and won't just buy anything. If they want product A, you can't just replace it with product B. And that's just one aspect of the many elements that go into any given deal. The bottom line is that the deal in place for Stargate Universe has different components than the deal for the SG-1 movie, which has different components than the deal for the SGA movie (yes, in spite of the fact that they are both Stargate movies, the deals are different).
"So even though the SG-1 movie has been greenlit, I can assure you that plans are still in place to move forward on the Atlantis movie as well. Brad is working on the SG-1 script while Paul and I hope to have a first draft of the Atlantis script by month's end (we're already past the halfway mark). No firm production dates for either movies, but if I was a betting man, I'd be looking at this fall.
"All this to say -- there's no need to get all negative. When there is a need, I'll let you all know but, at present, we're making progress on all fronts: SGU, SG-1, and SGA."
(Writer-producer Joseph Mallozzi, in a post at his blog)
As information is listed here while the movie is still
in production, remember that it is subject to change.
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