Mallozzi on Stargate Atlantis movie

While there is still plenty of work to be done to finish out the fifth and final season of Stargate Atlantis, executive producers Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie are already busy penning the first Atlantis movie that will follow the series when it bows in January (story).

The film doesn’t have a title yet, but Mallozzi has nicknamed it “Project Twilight” in these earliest stages of pre-production.

Mallozzi, who also serves as Atlantis‘s day-to-day showrunner along with Mullie, called the cancellation news “bittersweet.” “To be honest, we knew the odds were stacked against us,” he told GateWorld. “Still, given the numbers, we did hold up hope for a renewal.

“I’m certainly satisfied with what we’ve accomplished over the show’s five year run.”

The Atlantis movie will air later in 2009, and will be followed by more adventures from the lost city of the Ancients — if the first is a success.

“I can’t predict whether an ongoing series of Atlantis-based movies will prove successful,” Mallozzi said. “However, if the performance of the two SG-1 movies is anything to go by, the audience is out there.”

The film will of course play into the established mythology of Stargate Atlantis, but the story won’t have the burden of tying up loose story threads from the television series.

Stargate SG-1‘s Michael Shanks guest stars in this season’s two-parter. Mallozzi likes the idea of some crossover in the movies, as long as SG-1 and Atlantis continue to remain distinct.

“It will be more [like] Continuum than Ark of Truth in that it will continue the story of Atlantis in a one-off offering,” he said. “While the adventure will be stand-alone, the character moments will certainly draw on past experiences and future potential.”

And while there is certainly potential for crossovers by SG-1 actors, Mallozzi hopes that the two series of movies remain distinct. “While I like the idea of some crossover, I think SG-1 movies should be SG-1 movies and Atlantis movies Atlantis movies,” he said. “Two movies of each a year would be a true best case scenario.”

In a recent post at his blog, the producer also noted that the number of Stargate movies produced each year will depend in part on scheduling. “I think that we could produce as many as three Stargate (either SG-1 or Atlantis) movies a year,” he said. “Four is a long-shot, but very possible.”

Stick with GateWorld for continuing coverage of Season Five and the Stargate Atlantis movie, and don’t miss the next all-new episode — written by Joseph Mallozzi himself! “Whispers” airs Friday, September 5 on the SCI FI Channel in the United States.