Brad Wright co-executive producer of SCI-FI Channel’s original series Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis told SCI-FI Wire he’s confident that the longstanding franchise could spin off more series and even a feature film. Projects in the works include a third TV series, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game and a movie, he said in an interview.
“What we’ve built is now bigger than all of us,” Wright said. “Even if I were to not do the movie, I know somebody is going to do a Stargate movie. It’s the second largest franchise for MGM next to Bond. So it’s got significant brand potential, and by two series doing as well as they are and a game coming out, that could really, really, really brand the show in a big way. That’s what they like in this business: a larger franchise with so many legs to it that it could go into the future for years to come.”
The franchise began with the 1994 feature film Stargate, followed by SG-1 on Showtime in 1996. That series moved to SCI-FI in 2002 and will begin its unprecedented 10th season on July 14, becoming the longest-running SF show in American television history. Atlantis spun off of SG-1 in 2004 and kicks off its third season also on July 14.
“I know there will be a movie made,” Wright said. “I know there will likely be another series made, whether I make it or not. It’s just too good a vehicle for storytelling. This is exactly what Jonathan [Glassner] and I recognized 10 years ago, when we created the series. The Stargate is dramatically, and in terms of storytelling, a perfect vehicle from which to launch characters and tell stories. That’s why it will go for years to come.” Ian Spelling