Cooper has plans for Atlantis, Universe

The March 11 release of Stargate: The Ark of Truth doesn’t mean that Robert C. Cooper can sit back and relax. The Stargate franchise moves onward, and the writer, director, and producer filled us in on his plans for 2008 in an exclusive interview.

“I definitely will be writing and hopefully directing an episode toward the end of the season, if my schedule allows,” he said. Stargate Atlantis is now in production on its fifth season, which will premiere on SCI FI Channel in the United States in July. “I know that we’ve definitely spun some stories that I am eager to get working on.”

Two years ago Cooper wrote and directed the action-packed Ronon episode “Sateda.” Last year, he tried his hand at nightmares with “Doppelganger.”

He and fellow executive producer Brad Wright are currently overseeing the DVD movie releases, with Stargate: Continuum next on deck in July.

“It’s been a bit of a change, because normally we basically run post-production right up until the show goes to the network and it goes on the air,” Cooper said. “And then it takes months after that to put the DVDs together to get them to market. In this case, because they are going to DVD first, all of that has to happen — and there’s a lot of time involved in that whole process. It’s been educational for us.”

The two are also lending a hand with production duties on the new season of Stargate Atlantis. “Joe and Paul and Carl and Martin and Alan are doing a fantastic job with that on a full-time basis, and we’re pitching in,” he said. “Brad has just turned in an Atlantis script for Season Five” (“The Shrine of Talus”).

And what of Stargate Universe, the highly anticipated third TV series in the franchise? “I don’t know!” Cooper said. “Unfortunately it takes a really long time to get deals done. And then everybody wants everything tomorrow.”

The series has been pitched, and the decision on the next step currently rests with MGM — as does the decision for a third SG-1 movie. An MGM representative told GateWorld that the studio is not ready to comment on either just yet.

“I’m not trying to be elusive,” he added. “But I feel like we’ve been predicting things for a couple of years now, and I almost kind of want to say, ‘When it happens, it happens.'”

Stay tuned to GateWorld for the very latest on Stargate Atlantis, Stargate Universe, and future DVD movies! With very strong sales numbers coming in for The Ark of Truth, we hope to find out what is next for the franchise very soon.