It was 1994 when Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich’s Stargate finally hit the big screen. It was an ambitious science fiction film with a modest budget (just $55 million), and it wasn’t a summer blockbuster by any means. But for an off-season, October release, Stargate did remarkably well with its $71 million gross domestic earnings and nearly $200 million worldwide.
The team’s production studio had found third-party financiers, and signed over the rights to MGM only after the film had been made — reportedly to secure a wide distribution in the U.S. Along with that deal went the pair’s rights to the intellectual property, and in the years following MGM would opt for making a TV series for Showtime — Stargate SG-1 — instead of letting Devlin and Emmerich move forward with their intended sequels.
Until now.
Flash forward to 2013, and Stargate is off the air after three television series and a hugely successful, 14-year run. The production team at The Bridge Studios in Vancouver have moved out and on to other things. MGM has passed through the fires of bankruptcy and is under new management. And Devlin and Emmerich are back at MGM’s Los Angeles offices to pitch their trilogy once again — or, rather, a “reboot” of the Stargate concept for the big screen.
So is this the best thing for Stargate? And is it the only way for Stargate to make a comeback?
For many fans, the TV incarnation simply is Stargate. (From “Reckoning”)Now this is just my opinion, as someone who has been following Stargate from the beginning — nearly 20 years now. And I recognize that for millions of other Stargate fans around the world … well, “your mileage may vary,” as they say. So I hope you’ll consider what I have to say, and then sound off in the comments section below.
I think the feature film reboot could be a very, very good thing for Stargate. It’s not the version of Stargate that I want the most right now, but it’s the version that has the best chance of bringing the franchise back to life.
There are two things you have to know about me to understand why I’m looking at the potential reboot trilogy this way. First, I’m what you might call a grim realist. I understand a little bit about the way that the film and television industry works, and I know what it takes for studios to get behind a project and put up the cash to get it made.
It has next to nothing to do with satisfying a vocal online fan base (which usually makes up a tiny fraction of viewers or ticket holders).
It has next to nothing to do with fulfilling “promises” made by past regimes of executives (who lost their jobs, it might be argued, as a result of their mismanagement of a bankrupt studio).
And it certainly has nothing to do with the creative need to tie up loose plot threads or resolve cliffhangers.
It has everything to do with the latest pitch’s potential profitability. For a company with shareholders, like MGM, that’s doubly true.
No, if the writers of Stargate SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe were the ones holding the purse strings and calling the shots, they would go in for all of those other reasons. But Stargate is no longer in their control; it’s in the hands of executives who only know that (a) Stargate has a strong fan base, (b) Stargate has made MGM a lot of money over the years, but (c) Stargate on television seems to have been run into the ground and cancelled by its broadcaster due to steadily decreasing viewership over a 6-year period.
What was once MGM’s most lucrative franchise second only to James Bond is now consigned to the vast archive of past generations (think the Raiders of the Lost Ark ending).
Destiny sails away on its mission. (From “Gauntlet”)
That, I think, is the studio’s point of view on the franchise circa 2013. That means that the odds of MGM bringing back any of those three series and their casts, of tying up their storylines, even of making a one-off DVD movie, is hovering somewhere around zero.
Is that what I want? NO. I want to know the rest of the SGU story. I want SG-1 and Atlantis back in the form of reasonably-budgeted movies every couple of years. But that ain’t going to happen. I’m a grim realist about it all.
So Stargate either reinvents itself, or goes away for good.
Second, you need to know that I am a “franchise fan.” There are different ways to love a multi-show, multi-media franchise like Stargate, you see. I understand that my way is not everyone’s way. And that’s cool. Many people aren’t fans of the concept so much as they are fans of SG-1, or Atlantis, or Universe, of Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks, Joe Flanigan and Torri Higginson, of the characters and villains and great one-liners that have made up the fabric of those 14 years. If those shows are never coming back, some fans will stick with their DVDs and won’t come back, either. And that’s totally fine.
I, however, am first a fan of the Stargate concept. I’m very interested in anything that takes place in this universe, making use of gate travel to explore other worlds, meet alien species and displaced human cultures, and get into trouble along the way. So the idea of a big-budget, big-screen trilogy of Stargate movies is incredibly exciting to me.
Not because I don’t want SG-1, or Atlantis, or Universe back.
Not because I’m even all that big a fan of Devlin and Emmerich’s other work.
Because it’s Stargate. And it’s the best damn chance of ever seeing any Stargate again.
Going back to the beginning may be the franchise’s best hope for moving forward. (From “Stargate” the Movie)
The Stargate franchise is at a crossroads. The shows that we love are over — but we’ll always have them, on DVD and Blu-ray, to love. We’ll always have each other to talk to and to relive old memories, whether online or at conventions around the world. But at this crossroads, the Stargate concept either becomes something new or it dies.
One of my favorite shows of the 1990s was Babylon 5. Creator J. Michael Straczynski tried the DVD movie route a few years ago with The Lost Tales, but it went no where. JMS recently made a comment that I haven’t been able to get out of my head: he said that, because the show isn’t airing in repeats anywhere (at least in the U.S.), it can’t draw any new fans. A handful of people may find it in the DVD bargain bin, or while cruising Netflix or Hulu, or on a recommendation from a friend — sure. But since it’s not very “discoverable” its fan base is simply going to grow older and shrink through attrition. And Warner Bros. has little motivation to ever make anything B5-related again … unless the fans demand it.
The same is true for any property, including Stargate. The more attention it draws, and the more people who join its fan base, the more likely it is that more and more stuff will get made. Movies. New TV shows. Comics. Video games. Toys. All those things you think Stargate needs more of — well, it first needs the viewership to justify it.
Not to the MGM who made SG-1 and rode the wave of Stargate‘s international success for more than a decade. Not the MGM that cashed the cheques that the current fan base already wrote. No, we’re talking about the new MGM for whom Stargate looks, on paper, less like a sure-thing and more like a potential liability.
That’s not an MGM that owes us anything. It’s an MGM that needs to be convinced that Stargate can be a major property again.
The Bottom Line: A rebooted film trilogy, helmed by established names and given a significant budget, would be a huge injection of life into Stargate‘s dying embers. It won’t be the same as SG-1, Atlantis, or SGU, no. But it will be Stargate, and it will bring millions of new people into the broader world of our fandom.
That way, in 10 years, we’ll be watching new Stargate, anticipating the next TV series, playing the video games, hunting for the toys, and grabbing tickets to the next convention … and not just remembering how fun it all was while it lasted.
Read more about Devlin and Emmerich’s hopes for a new Stargate trilogy — which has NOT yet been given the go-ahead by MGM — here.
darren, you just broke my heart. i AM one of those fans that love the characters as much, if not more, than the actual idea of stargate. i didn’t like the movie. i enjoyed it, but when they went through the gate and it looked like just an every day desert, i lost some interest. i found the movie ‘alright’… so when i found out a new series was going to be made based on that movie, i was meh. and then i tried it (because it was on before or after my then favorite show), and was very quickly… Read more »
How can someone be a “franchise fan”? Just slap a “Stargate” name on something and it’s supposed to be good? I absolutely loathed and hate-watched Stargate Universe for a season and half because I hated the characters and didn’t care a bit whether they lived or died (I started to come around towards the end of the show). What difference does it make if the characters and plot of a story invoke no emotional connection to the viewer? If they’re going to produce a bunch of crappy movies with no connection to anything that has been done previously and with… Read more »
A reboot is the lazy way forward.
I would much rather see new theatrical movies that acknowledge the past content and take it further (even without any returning characters) instead of restarting from the beginning. There’s not much from an effects stand point that “needs” to be redone. The original movie and the TV shows are still fairly impressive in that regard.
There should be a mandatory 40 year ban on any reboot of a popular franchise.
I’m not a franchise fan (very much disliked what they did with SGU) but a huge fan of SGA, Sheppard and McKay in particular. Without them back, even if just in supporting roles, I have zero interest in seeing anything further from this concept. My DVD’s and Fanfic will have to be my happy place. (no fan of the Legacy books either)
Let me just add to my previous comment.
I would prefer a TV show over a theatrical movie. A TV season is nearly always better than a theatrical movie from a story telling point of view. But if a theatrical movie is all the studio is interested in, let it integrate with the previous story lines. Don’t attempt a reboot.
So I agree with you a little bit, but mostly a lot. I think trying to do a sequel to (wrap things up) would be a financial mistake. It would limit the potential audience only to those who watched the show. However, attempting to do a reboot based solely on the movie would be a huge mistake. While the Stargate movie wasn’t a financial flop, there’s a reason no one was itching for Stagate II. The Stargate phenomenon didn’t take off until SG-1 struck it big. When I first saw, the Stargate movie, I thought it was “pretty good.” It… Read more »
I don’t understand with all these negative vibes from so-called Stargate fans. You guys reject everything which aren’t another season of SG1/SGA. Keep up this attitude, and Stargate franchise will be DEAD FOREVER….
I’m very excited about the new movie. Needless to say, a blockbuster movie will b much more enjoyable than tv series production. Reboot? Bring it on!
Darren, while I came to love the TV series, primarily SG-1 & Atlantis, I have to agree with you. MGM will look at what Paramount did with “Star Trek” and they want to do it, too. “Reboot” is what Hollywood is doing these days. Ask Spiderman. Sadly, I wish it was the TV version with the cast.
I wholeheartedly agree after considering reading this opinion article. Doctor Who has only had such phenomenal success through its various reincarnations. Star Trek has been the same way. So maybe we do need a reboot, and to stop living in the past. We all loved SG-1, Atlantis, and to some degree Universe. But they’re gone now and we have to look forward for future generations to become fans and to immerse themselves in the culture and history that is Stargate no matter its version. I just hope Jar Jar Abrams doesn’t get a hand in it. He’s already ruined Star… Read more »
I pretty much entirely agree with the article. The franchise is dead right now: SG-1, Atlantis, and even Universe aren’t going to be coming back, so if a reboot is what it’ll take to get the gate spinning again, I’m all for it. Yeah, I hated Universe, so I’m not going to automatically love anything with a Stargate in it–the reboot could be really terrible for all I know, but I’d rather they make it than have the franchise disappear forever. After they learned what not to do with the franchise in SGU, there’s a great chance a reboot would… Read more »
If not now, Stargate will be rebooted in some form sooner than later (possibly in the distant future when no one really remember the details of the original movies nor the TV shows) given that’s basically how Hollywood works. Ideally, I still hope that TPTB of the series can use Kickstarter or something to fund some DVD movies (basically have the fans prepaid for the new movie). Without that, I’m fine with a reboot, but perhaps Stargate need fresher eyes to successfully reboot it as a franchise. I don’t exactly have high hope for the proposed reboot from little of… Read more »
My questions is this, If it was such a ‘failure’ on tv why are they bringing it back? I would much prefer an atlantis continuation or sgu continuation or wrap-up. It’s like you have a car and you know the battery is bad. Well, we should replace the whole engine just to be sure. Why reinvent the wheel? So as fans we can either except nothing, or a completely different stargate which will be more comparable to the original movies but won’t even have the same actors from either. Not much of a choice if you ask me. Despite all… Read more »
I’d also like to say shows have been resurrected in one form or another in worse situations than this (as far as renewal chances), so to say it has zero chance of return, BS!: Arrested development, Firefly, Sliders, Red Dwarf, Star trek (the original and a good example of the neilsens not knowing what they’re talking about!), jericho, Family Guy, Futurama beg to differ!
First of all it’s great that you made this little article which sparks some interesting discussion. First of all, I call myself also a franchise fan, which means that I like the movie and the series, with the exception being SGU. Being a franchise fan I didn’t like it, because it felt OUT of the franchise, it didn’t feel connected to it enough, that’s why I dislike it and that’s why I dislike the idea of a reboot. Look at Star Trek. Abrams made hugely successful reboot movies (while they technically are sequels, they ARE reboots in many ways). And… Read more »
@hansolo, I would love to be proven wrong on that count. How fantastic would it be if SGU or SGA came back, even if just for a Netflix season or a DVD movie. But on my analysis of the situation, I think with those shows you are comparing apples to batteries. Some of those shows were canceled by a broadcast network when they had ratings that a niche cable channel would kill for — then they were picked up to successful continuations by a niche cable channel (Sliders, Futurama, Arrested Development in a sense). That’s already happened to Stargate SG-1.… Read more »
@Jaqarll: Would Emmerich’s reboot movie be any good? That’s a very good question. It’s also beyond the scope of what I’m on about in this article. Many fans are prejudging Emmerich and deciding that they’d rather have no Stargate than his Stargate. Fair enough. I, on the other hand, would rather have some Stargate and then judge it based on how it turns out. I might love it, like I loved 2009’s Star Trek. Or I may find it soulless and lacking in everything that made the franchise great, like I thought of 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness. But I’d… Read more »
I totally understand your point and before Into Darkness I think I would have agreed to everything you said in your nice article. The point I see is that with all the buzz around current high profile TV shows it seems rather random to reboot the Stargate franchise as a movie trilogy. I also really like the first movie, but when I think of it I really like it in combination with the show. If it was just that one movie I’d only consider it ok. My problem is: a new Stargate show is unlikely, yes, but NOT an impossibility.… Read more »
Darren, I must say that comparisons with the Star Trek reboot aren’t really entirely appropriate; that does still take place in the same universe. It’s a parallel timeline, but it still does tie in on some level. Enterprise still happened in the ST 2009 universe. An Emmerich reboot of Stargate would overwrite our canon completely. I know you realise this stuff already, but it is really important to remember how different SG1 was to the original movie. Like Jaqarll says, the Jaffa, the Asgard, DHDs, GDOs, the Goa’uld themselves, the Tok’ra, the Ancients, Teal’c, Carter, pretty much everything about Stargate… Read more »
I would love to see a reboot, but as most people here have said, it has to be in the same universe as the show. That’s what making me sad with this reboot, it won’t have the same base.
If they absolutely have to do something with stargate, call the movie something else and just use the stargate as a device in it and nothing more, it would be alright. Then he wouldn’t erase the series.
I agree totally with Darren’s assessment. I am into the concept, which presents infinite possibilities in its execution. I would be intrigued by a different approach to Stargate. A different approach is going to be required to draw in viewers and money. Without the potential of broad public interest nobody is going to touch the franchise with a ten-foot pole.
They aren’t talking about rebooting the franchise, they are talking about rebooting the movie. What we get will not have Jaffa, Gou’ald, Sam Carter, Atlantis, Ancients, Tok’Ra, or any of the things that the TV series have given us over the years We will get Jack O’Neil, Daniel Jackson, and the gate. Nothing else from the franchise that we all love and enjoy. Emerich has made it quite clear that he doesn’t hold the tv series as canon. Emerich wants to stand on the shoulders of the cast and crew that came after his movie to build his new franchise.… Read more »
they really cant do anything that hasnt been done already, or if they can then it is cgi filled s***… bring real stargate back
The movie never really meant anything to me. It was a so-so sci-fi movie, like many others. I had forgotten all about it when I found SG-1, and I didn’t even remember much of it when I watched the beginning of the show. To me, Stargate IS the tv shows. The movie means little to me. To be honest, I am not interested in something that continues/reboots the original movie universe. What I love in Stargate are: Tok’ra, Goa’uld, and team – in that order.
The original Stargate was not like SG-1. They only carried over Ra and Skaara, and the names of O’Neill and Daniel, both of whom became much better characters than Kurt Russel and James Spader could portray. I watch Stargate SG-1/Atlantis/Universe episodes all the time. I watch the SG-1 movies every once in a while. I can’t remember the last time I sat through all of the original Stargate movie. I think the only reason we’re into the concept of a stargate is because the TV show made it so good. If we go back to a trilogy based on the… Read more »
Seeing all the comments on SGU… Stargate could have been saved if they weren’t experimenting with Stargate in SGU’s first season. Season 2 SGU got back to Stargate roots while keeping what’s unique about SGU. Season 2’s Blockade is a great example of Stargate, but came too late unfortunately.
What is not a good example of Stargate, is the actual Stargate movie. As SG-1 shows time and time again, loyalty to a spinning ring is foolish. Loyalty to a team will carry you forward, and ignoring the TV show will sink a Stargate reboot.
“…Stargate is no longer in their control; it’s in the hands of executives who only know that (a) Stargate has a strong fan base, (b) Stargate has made MGM a lot of money over the years, but (c) Stargate on television seems to have been run into the ground and cancelled by its broadcaster due to steadily decreasing viewership over a 6-year period” Stargate has a strong fan base because the fans are fans of the TV show not the movie and the reason MGM made so much money from the franchise is because of loyal viewers of the TV… Read more »
I will never understand the SGU hate machine. The show had real drama, real tension and fantastic acting, especially by Robert Carlyle. I really can’t understand why people don’t like SGU. It boggles my mind. I love the quirky antics of O’Neill, Jackson, Sheppard & McKay as much as anyone. But it had been done, over and over again. SGU was a refreshing take on the franchise. Why not give the sci fi element a little realism? Why not have aliens on a show that don’t speak english for a change? Why not break away from the SG-1/SGA mold and… Read more »
@Darren – A grim realist indeed. I unfortunately have to agree with you. I have no interest in a Stargate reboot myself. I am an SG1 fan. I like Atlantis. However this is not about fandom, itas about making money. The James Bond reboot worked. The Batman reboot (Lord knows why) worked. The Star Trek reboot unfortunately, also worked, in all cases in spite of fans not because of them. = All made a ridiculous amount of money and spawned sequels as well as their own fan bases.(Most of the films in question had little to no character development, ropey… Read more »
I don’t think a reboot is a good idea. It’s not the Spiderman franchise which gets rebooted and nothing really changes. It has the same characters, the same plot lines, the same feeling. But the Stargate franchise is not the movie. It is what came after the movie. It’s not the spinning ring. It’s the mythology that Wright, Cooper, Mallozzi and the others have created. Emmerich has almost nothing to do with it. If these are the only two choices, I rather want no more Stargate ever. Not because of revenge or anger or something similar. I just don’t want… Read more »
Gave us the new series episodes like universe atlantis sg1 plenty of story to tell. Or start kickstarter campaing to save this awesome show we will support it!!!
And for the love of good dont chose SCIFI channel!
Just some food for thought, all this “rage aginst the man” to quote Sheppard is fruitless, and as Weir puts it at the “end of the Day” nothing really changes. One more tidbit of info, i truely believe that Hollywood and other Media Marketing entities are controlled by “Invastion of the Body snathers” in that Sci Fi has been all but uterly destroyed in all venues be that movies or television. And if i did not know have not seen the signs, its as if all science fiction is being eliminated so that the human race is being force feed… Read more »
gene said: “The TV series made the franchise what it is, and to ignore that is very stupid on a staggering level.”
hell yes!!
@kenna Thank you. I’m glad to hear a similar opinion out there. I agree with you on being completely baffled by SGU hate. SG1 is still my favorite but SGU was close behind. I loved the real drama and torment of the SGU crew. I loved that they were involved in something so different, mysterious, and special. SGA in the end was mindless and all of the focus was on Sheppard and McKay. I thought Sheppard was great but McKay was always better on SG1 than SGA. All of the other SGA characters became hollow shells or were written off… Read more »
I can´t imagine seeing Stargate in the cinema without Teal´c, Sam and some ancient technology going berserk (man, I would go to see Lost City on the big screen any day of the week). But as many of you are saying, and I agree, there is no chance that we will ever see SG-1/A/U ever again. But really, if I would have to choose between Stargate II without humor and almost everything that I love about stargate (not even the mountain would be the same) and nothing, I would probably choose nothing. Or something with puppets, that almost always works… Read more »
Okay, let’s deal with this challenge. 1) I’ve drawn up a concept for a new “reboot” Stargate series. Five seasons, telling one underlying story. 2) I do NOT have the credibility with the major studios to promote this at present. 3) My past background suggests I may have a way, after the first round of money is raised, to finance the entire series, all 100+ episodes, using new business and economic models (I spent over a decade in finance and created some unique business models to reduce risk in business transactions). 4) To obtain the credibility in the next couple… Read more »
There is no equally successful concept, other than Stargate. It can not be denied. Therefore, all other arguments are meaningless. It is very good that there is no indifferent fans. But the disagreement between us, only harms those who have the ability and desire to continue the franchise. Stay positive.
I Loved SG-1. I liked SGA. And I meh/hey this is good/I love this SGU. The concept of there being a portal for instant travel to another planet/galaxy, etc… it doesn’t suit being solely a movie or movie franchise. That’s why MGM took it to TV instead. And on TV, it broke records. Or one record – it ran longer than the X-Files, while in the same year, just later, Smallville then broke that same record (most episodes). and don’t forget, for three years, SG-1 was being produced alongside SG-A… by the same team, I think. going from 22 episodes… Read more »
I can understand a movie proposal and moving away from existing characters. I’ve followed Stargate from the beginning. I love the world, the mythology, the characters, really everything about the franchise. As much as I adore the existing characters. I do not agree with a reboot. I believe a movie that expands the existing universe established by the shows, if executed correctly can draw in fresh audiences while maintaining the franchise universe that has been so amazingly developed over the years. Personally, I think its way too soon for a complete reboot, I personally can’t see myself watching a retelling… Read more »
I wouldn’t mind seeing Devlin’s original vision come to fruition it’s not going to change the 17 yrs of Stargate everyone loves, that will always be there and I hope someday continued. Just think of this new Stargate as an vastly alternate universe of Stargate SG-1, SGA, SGU. It would be cool if Devlin at least gave a nod to the series…like have his version of O’Neil make a joke about spelling his name with ONE L.
tbh, I’m a fan first and foremost of the world created through SG1 and SGA, and not simply the concept of the Stargate device itself. I’m not completely oppossed to a reboot, but I’d rather let the franchise die and RIP than let Devlin/Emmerich get their hands on it again. Their previous work just makes me think the movies will be bad, and it will soil the memory of SG1 (not mine but society’s), and ofc they won’t use any SG1/SGA material.
Why are you so angry at Devlin and Emmerich? These people can revive Stargate! We all have ups and downs. But the return of the franchise outweighs any arguments! And you do not give them a chance to prove that they are able to do this? I find it very strange.
it would not be saving it. it would be starting it over.
Darren, I am with you on this reboot thing… up to a point. As I’ve said earlier on another thread dealing with Emmerich, I find the idea of a Stargate reboot/restart quite intriguing. I, too, am what you’d call a ‘franchise fan’… but, I have accepted the fact that it is a new era over at MGM, and the new studio bean-counters are only interested in one thing: What Will Make Us Piles of Money. So, I agree with you that a reboot may be the very (and only) thing that pulls Stargate out of a fast-approaching obsolescence. That SAID,… Read more »
Darren, your points are valid and certainly make sense from the “grim realism” point of view, but one can also look at it as the final nail in the coffin. There’s no way the Stargate reboot would make as much money as the Trek reboot, first of all, and disappointing box office results would eliminate any possibility of a future SG TV series, but even if it is a success, Devlin/Emmerich would disavow everything that ever happened in the series. I suspect they’ve probably never even watched it. While the Star Trek reboot was disappointing in the way that it’s… Read more »
I just hope it will countinue a story,i hope it will not just jump out some new story that cant’t be linked with anything…
I think a reboot could be ok…. But not going back to the start. I would suggest a reboot more like Star Trek renegades is doing….going ahead into the future. Maybe a storyline after the stargate was revealed and after some major events had happened….. Or a look back on the history of the stargaze reveal and how the planet dealt with that… Various governments, etc. how did other planets respond….just seems like a mistake to rewrite everything that made the franchise so popular in the first place. Even star trek kept the characters the same in their reboot, just… Read more »
It’s true, maybe a new director can give a new fresh look to the concept. In the 1st episode of SGU its painfully to see how they talk about the SG-1 in 5 minutes at superspeed like we already know everything. For me, a fan, its fine, but to engage new people into the series was awfull. I know they wanted to engage new people with a “Lost” style of storytelling but they screw up there.
So, a new director, writers etc its needed, ones that are bold enought to do a reebot ala Star-trek and make us like new characters, unknown actors in 30 minutes. I’m thinking Luc besson for example, beautifull scenery, or someone used to sci-fi but that knows how not to bore the average non-geeky person. (althought i love the techical talk, rodney mckay etc. it just doesn’t work on a movie.)
canumasu: you said it, they can just start the movie with some intriguing event-change in egypt many years ago that alters the whole timeline, and makes that, for example, the Stargate is not found until, for example, 2050. So now we got a completely different saga, not in the present with new characters in a slightly futuristic world.