Amazon has bought the rights to “Stargate”. But will this popular and beloved series be
scrapped and rebooted? Will the upcoming Stargate series maintain the continuity that has
been developed over the course of 17 seasons and more than 350 episodes?
Brad Wright, who co-created Stargate SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe, is prepared to visit the
universe he helped to create if Amazon bosses give him the go-ahead. And he is prepared to
take the Stargate program's narrative in an entirely different direction.
In Wright's latest proposal for a fourth live-action series, the existence of the Stargate would be
widely known.
In an interview with SYFY wire, Wright said that the secret technology could be used to help the
world. Earth had a fleet of spaceships, hyperspace engines, a variety of alien weapons and
technology, matter-energy transporters, and databases containing centuries' worth of
information from both the Lanteans and the Asgard by the time the series was cancelled in 2011
when it was still airing. Despite access to sensitive information from the S.G.C.'s offworld
operations being granted to several private contractors and read-ins from numerous nations,
everything is still kept a secret from the general public.
A pilot script for Wright's proposed new program has already been written. That seems to be
delaying making a choice until after Amazon's acquisition of MGM has been completed, or at
least moved along the pipeline. At least with Amazon, nothing is really out in the open.
During the Stargate franchise's 14-year television run (1997-2011), the creators consistently
withheld information about the Stargate, knowing that doing so would be a paradigm-shifting
event. Wright remarked that revelation was such a significant concept for this universe
throughout the filming of the show that it deserved to be the focus of a fresh Stargate movie. In
his upcoming direct-to-DVD film, Stargate: Revolution, which was to present a Jack O'Neill-
centered tale, Wright ultimately hoped to break that boundary. The project was abandoned in
2011 after three years of uncertainty, the DVD market crashed, MGM filed for bankruptcy, and
new management took over.
A fourth TV show then, in which every human knows about the Stargate, galactic travel, cutting-
edge technology, even extraterrestrial species? It would truly be the "next generation" of
Stargate storytelling.
A Slow Road
It was first reported in January 2019 that Wright and MGM were actively discussing developing
a new Stargate film. The COVID-19 pandemic, which halted all film and television production,
put an end to the attempt just as they were about to go out and pitch it to possible broadcast
and streaming houses in 2020.
As film and television companies all around the world battled to resume production, Stargate's
fourth series was put back on hold.
All hope was thought lost.
Then, in May 2021, Amazon declared that it was acquiring Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and every one
of its properties, including the Stargate brand. Once the deal is finalized, that information opens
up a world of new opportunities for the Stargate franchise. Will Amazon, however, want to
publish Wright's script? Or start over from scratch?
New Hope Returns
Brad Wright's ambitions for a fourth live-action Stargate series may still materialize, but it
appears that the studio has put the project on hold in light of Amazon's $8.45 billion purchase of
MGM. The acquisition was finalized inl the first quarter of 2022, if the companies can get federal
regulatory bodies' permission.
Wright, for his part, wishes and hopes, that Stargate's new owners will respect the past while
trying to give the brand new vitality.
The adoption of MGM's rich intellectual property by Amazon suggests that Stargate will
eventually return to television in some capacity. Will it be the fourth series for Brad Wright, or
something altogether different?
Let's hope they stay true to the original canon!
Image Source: pexels/pixabay
News: several sources
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