When a beloved TV show ends before its time, fans understandably scramble for something more — more adventures with these characters, a way to wrap up dangling storylines in an official way … just something. Five years after Stargate Atlantis went off the air, we have a glimmer of hope.
A 4-issue comic book series for Stargate: Extinction has appeared on the long-look release schedule from publisher BOOM! Studios. The date is still to be announced — and it’s evidently far enough out that Newsarama quickly removed Stargate: Extinction from the BOOM! announcement, leading to some confusion over whether this is a done deal.
GateWorld’s request to the publisher for confirmation had not yet been returned at press time.
The original Extinction movie script was written by Atlantis executive producers Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie, with a story idea originally intended to open up Season Six of the show. After SGA was cancelled in 2008 the script itself was commissioned as a stand-alone movie, which was to air on Syfy Channel before a DVD/Blu-ray release — and the possibility of future movies. After the home video market softened and the global markets crashed, MGM (itself nearing bankruptcy at the time) got cold feet.
“We’re big fans of this enduring sci-fi franchise,” BOOM! said in the original announcement, “and after bringing our skills and passion to other great properties like FARSCAPE and PLANET OF THE APES, we couldn’t wait to get our hands on another long-running favorite: STARGATE. STARGATE: EXTINCTION has been known to die-hard fans as producer-writers’ Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie’s unmade sequel to STARGATE: ATLANTIS. Now, BOOM! Studios is proud to help bring this story to four-color life.”
BOOM! also released a very brief teaser for the story:
Atlantis is the new home of Stargate command. The ancient city’s Stargate finally opens. It will lead to the team’s most epic adventure yet … and may destroy Atlantis itself.
Illustrator Piotr Kowalski will do the art for the Extinction comics.
Mallozzi has revealed a number of story elements from Extinction in the years since, which you can find here and on his blog. The action picks up in the months after Atlantis‘s final episode, with the great city-ship relocated to the secure distance of Earth’s moon and The Powers That Be debating over how best to make use of the Ancient city and its technology.
Mallozzi and Mullie come to the medium with sci-fi comic experience in 2012’s Dark Matter, which was released by Dark Horse Comics and is currently being shopped for a live-action television series.
But the script for Extinction belongs to MGM, and so the final decision on allowing for a comic book adaptation rests with the studio. Mallozzi blogged in December about the possibility of a comic series based on the Extinction script, which is otherwise gathering dust on the shelf at MGM. He encouraged fans wanting to see the story — and any other future for the Stargate television properties — to contact MGM and ask for it.
The BOOM! release is not the first time that Stargate has been tried in comics — and it’s actually not even the first attempt at an Atlantis continuation that follows up on the events of the final episode, “Enemy At the Gate.” Dynamite Entertainment published two limited-issue “Daniel Jackson” and “Vala Mal Doran” series in 2009 and 2010, but plans for an Atlantis series written by Doug Murray, as well as on-going SG-1 and SGU comics, never materialized.
Years before that, Avatar Press published Stargate SG-1 comics under its “Pulsar” imprint from 2003 to 2005. (Check out GateWorld’s Stargate comic archive to see more.)
Between 2010 and 2013 Fandemonium also published a series of six Stargate Atlantis: Legacy novels picking up the story from where the show left off. But the comic series will come with the advantage of not only input from the writers of the live-action series, but their first-hand authorship.
BOOM! is also releasing a new Robocop series, from author Frank Miller. The Robocop films are also produced by MGM.
The comic book medium has proved quite successful for continuations of other popular sci-fi and fantasy series, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly.
Stay with GateWorld for the latest developments on the Stargate: Extinction front.
(Thanks to Sean for the tip!)
To bad we never got a movie………to bad we never got another season.
Of course we all wanted a movie, but its been five years. A movie is not going to happen… and I can’t wait any longer for more Atlantis lol :P . This is good news.
[…] Speaking of Gateworld, I’ve received oodles of emails (I do like the sound of that. Say it. ”Oodles of emails”!) directing me to this story on Gateworld: BOOM! Unfilmed Stargate: Extinction Movie Script May Be A Comic Series […]
Miss the show, would have loved a movie, can’t we just have the graphic novel at least.
I’d definitely buy it. I want the real movie, but I’d check this out for sure. :)
I don’t like the Legacy novels so would be happy for a different sort of continuation of the saga.
Yea, a comic stip… that’s what i was looking foward… like im 9 years old… get real.
Soooo, not into a comic. This sounds like a stupid/bad idea. I hope they don’t go through with this. I just wish that they would do the movie; see how well it does and do more. Best case scenario – bring back the show! …if only Either way, I still really miss this show everyday. I wish there was some way to bring it back.
Awesome, i haven’t expected the film for quite some time so this will do it some justice. Now how about the unfilmed, O’Neill-centric, SG1 film?
Hmmm maybe this studio can start a kicstarter campaing for the movie!!????
other shows are making comebacks 24, Heroes, and Veronica Mars. the producers need to pitch a 12 to 13 episode season that incorporates all three shows and wraps up all of the current story lines. run it during the summer get great ratings and then its over then they can reboot in 10 years! Someone please make this happen!
That’s a great idea, 13 eps that take in all three series and deliver conclusions to all open threads. I need closure.
Damn this sounds amazing! *crossed fingers*. I just finished about a week ago a rewatching of all of SG-1 & Atlantis (usually an annual event)… it never gets old! I wish they would they would push for doing a SG-1 ongoing & Atlantis ongoing, both taking place after the shows & movies. New movies seem to be way too much right now, but I think they could pull off 2 ongoings. BOOM! did a great job with Incorruptible & Irredeemable… 2 titles in the same world and they pulled it off well. I know 2 ongoings is probably not going… Read more »
@Vortez Some enjoy comic books, you dont, fine. It’s not for you then. @missingShep It’s only a “stupid/bad” idea because its not what you would of wanted. Face it Stargate Atlantis especially is done, dusted no new TV episodes or movies ever for it. Just because you dont like graphic novels doesn’t mean you should say “Hope they dont go through with it” @ReaperLord22 How many people do you think would actually be willing to donate their money for this to happen? 1000? 2000? Even with 100,000 people donating a 100 each The actors pay cheque’s combined would run into… Read more »
Excellent! This is pretty much the best case scenario at this point, so I’m all for it! I’ll always have hope for a live-action continuation, but until then, I’ll take this!
So this is the fourth publisher to publish under the Stargate title (if you include the movie comic books). Avatar did an all right job, but Dynamite’s Vala series was downright horrible… Did anyone read it? I read the first issue, and it was blatantly written by someone who had never watched any Stargate. Good to see this new series is based directly on a showrunner’s script.
That it is based on Extinction guarantees it will be interesting and probably quite good. No reason to complain about this news – it’s either this or nothing. I, for one, want to learn of the Atlantis / Extinction story.
[…] be” are the operative words there, however. Gateworld reports that a listing for a four-issue comic series called Stargate: Extinction popped up on a […]
I like Boom, but if this comic is going to sell well, it needs to be released by Dark Horse or IDW.