SG-1 headed to the Arctic

And you thought 16-hour shooting days in Vancouver were rough. The cast of Stargate SG-1 is headed north to film scenes for the upcoming direct-to-DVD movie Stargate: Continuum in the Arctic.

Cast members including Ben Browder (“Cameron Mitchell”) and Amanda Tapping (“Samantha Carter”) will shoot in the sub-zero climate at the U.S. Navy’s Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station (APLIS) from March 23 to 29.

Continuum will film a variety of scenes on location in the Arctic, approximately 200 nautical miles north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. Continuum will be directed by SG-1 veteran Martin Wood.

In addition to the frigid outdoor environments, filming will also involve the Navy submarine U.S.S. 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,” the studio said.

“We are excited to be working with the U.S. Navy on filming these epic scenes in the arduous conditions of the Arctic,” MGM Senior Executive Vice President Charles Cohen said. “SG-1 fans will certainly enjoy these action-packed sequences as the Stargate franchise has a rich history of unique and compelling action adventures.”

“We look forward to hosting MGM and the Stargate team at APLIS, and showcasing our sailors and the United States Submarine Force’s capabilities in the Arctic Ocean,” Lt. Erik Reynolds, the Department of Defense project officer assigned to the movie, said. “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.”

Filming on Continuum, the second SG-1 movie (following Stargate: The Ark of Truth), will continue in Vancouver, British Columbia on May 22.

The APLIS station was created in 1943 to develop effective torpedo exploders during wartime, and has since turned to acoustic studies and oceanographic research programs to understand how variations in the ocean environment affected the performance of Navy systems.

Learn more about Stargate: Continuum in GateWorld’s Movies section!

(Thanks to Kent, Jonathan Quirk, and Oliver for the tip)