"We have met with hundreds of actors in order to assemble just the right ensemble cast for this series, and we are certain that we have found the perfect Stargate Atlantis team," Hank Cohen, President, MGM Television Entertainment, told GateWorld. "We are confident that come July, Stargate fans all over the world will be thrilled as this terrific cast leads us on many new missions and explores countless new worlds in the Pegasus galaxy. All of us on the production side are gratified by The Sci-Fi Channel's belief in us by ordering this exciting extension of the Stargate brand directly to series, and airing it concurrently with the extremely popular SG-1."

Without further ado, meet the new team!

JOE FLANIGAN    (IMDb profile)
as Major John Sheppard
Leading the Stargate Atlantis team is Joe Flanigan. Flanigan earned a degree in history from the University of Colorado before becoming a full-time actor. He has appeared in such series as C.S.I. Miami, Tru Calling and Birds of Prey, and has played recurring characters on Profiler, Sisters, Providence and Dawson's Creek.

TORRI HIGGINSON    (IMDb profile)
as Dr. Elizabeth Weir
Ontario-born Higginson's list of credits includes "Storm of the Century," "The English Patient," and The Outer Limits. She also played the recurring role of Beth Kittridge in the "TekWar" TV movie series. Higginson replaces actress Jessica Steen, who played Dr. Weir in the Season Seven finale of Stargate SG-1 (airing in March). Weir is put in charge of the Atlantis mission, but is not military.

DAVID HEWLETT    (IMDb profile)
as Dr. Rodney McKay
Hewlett reprises his character of Dr. McKay, the arrogant but brilliant astrophysicist who traded barbs with Samantha Carter in SG-1 Season Five's "48 Hours" and Season Six's "Redemption." The 35-year-old actor is a native of Redhill, Surrey, England, and has also appeared in Without a Trace, ER, Twice in a Lifetime, and numerous films. McKay -- a Canadian -- is the only permanent cross-over from Stargate SG-1, and replaces the character of Dr. Benjamin Ingram, who was originally conceived for the new series.

RAINBOW SUN FRANCKS    (IMDb profile)
as Lieutenant Aiden Ford
A native of Toronto, Francks' list of credits includes Twice In a Lifetime, "Love Song" and "Love Come Down." He is also a VJ for Canada's MuchMusic, and a songwriter and producer for rap/hip-hop group The Oddities. His character, Lt. Ford, is an eager young officer who becomes Major Sheppard's second-in-command. (An interesting "Atlantis" connection: Francks is the brother of actress Cree Summer, who performed the voice of Princess Kida in Disney's Stargate-esque animated film "Atlantis: The Lost Empire.")

RACHEL LUTTRELL    (IMDb profile)
as Teyla Emmagan
Luttrell has made guest appearances on such shows as Charmed, Touched By an Angel, ER and Street Legal, and recently appeared with Gary Sinise and Madeleine Stowe in 2002's "Impostor." She plays Teyla (formerly "Mikala"), a leader among the alien people that the team meets on the post-apocalyptic planet Athos.

With the first week of filming on the new series complete, Stargate Atlantis executive producer and co-creator Brad Wright is enthusiastic about the new cast. "As amazing as our visual effects and production design are for Atlantis, the secret to a successful television series is a cast that people want to invite into their homes every week. After a week of shooting, Robert and I couldn't be happier," Wright told GateWorld. "Joe Flanigan's natural charm and sense of humor come through in every shot. Torri Higginson, Rainbow Francks and Rachel Luttrell are equally fabulous, and David Hewlett as Dr. McKay is brilliant and hilarious."

Stargate Atlantis is now in production in Vancouver, B.C. Learn more about the characters in GateWorld's Atlantis guide, and stay tuned for an exclusive first look at the new Stargate team!

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