Movie Questions: Will Kurt Russell and James Spader Star in the New Movies?

In anticipation of the upcoming Stargate movie trilogy, each week GateWorld offers its best guess at nagging questions about the upcoming films. Stay tuned, and post your suggested questions below.

If the Stargate franchise is returning to the original well, can fans expect to see the original Jack O’Neil (one L!) and Daniel Jackson back on the big screen?

Despite Dean Devlin’s recent use of the word “reboot,” it remains to be seen if the next Stargate movie will begin again at the beginning and tell the story of the Gate’s discovery and first activation, or if it will pick up more than 20 years after the original with a new team of characters.

In either case, it is of course possible that James Spader or Kurt Russell may put in an appearance — but very unlikely that they would star. In the case of a reboot, they could cameo as different characters. The new team could have a new Jack and Daniel with a younger cast — or those two characters might be left out altogether.

Or, in the case of a continuation, Russell’s O’Neill could turn up as a seasoned veteran to advise a new team (General O’Neil, anyone?). A return trip to Abydos might see an aged Daniel who has lived there most of his adult life.

Based on his critical remarks about the 1994 film in years past, it wouldn’t surprise us if Spader opted out of any participation. But Russell would provide some really great continuity with the original film, especially since his character was the one who returned home to Earth.

Devlin does seem to be pointing to a restart of the whole story. “Twenty years later, we can’t really do part two,” he told the Portland Business Journal. “We have to start over from the beginning. So let’s reboot the series, put in all the things we couldn’t the first time, and set it up properly.” That would indicate either new actors playing young Jack and Daniel, or different characters filling basically the same functions.

That would make any appearance by Russell and Spader in the territory of a cameo (or perhaps a larger supporting role) — but not as Jack or Daniel.

What questions about the new movies would you like us to tackle in future columns?