Stargate SG-1 co-creator Brad Wright has revealed that a new television series set in the military science-fiction franchise has become stuck in development hell.
Responding to a curious Stargate fan on Twitter, Wright explained that the most recent attempt at a new live-action series in the franchise has been stuck in development hell since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. "[Y]ou won't hear news from me [about a new Stargate series]," replied Wright. "MGM did hire me to write a pilot for a new show but that was just before covid hit. Timing couldn't have been much worse. All the players have changed in the interim so it's likely destined to gather dust. Would've been fun, though."
The Stargate franchise is based on the eponymous 1994 film, which was directed by Roland Emmerich from a screenplay he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin. The film and the television series are based on the idea of an alien Einstein–Rosen bridge device (known as the Stargate) that enables nearly instantaneous travel across the cosmos. Following the release of the 1994 film, Wright and Jonathan Glassner created a television series titled Stargate SG-1, which premiered in 1997 and served as a sequel to the film. SG-1 was well-received by fans, leading to Wright developing two spinoff series -- Stargate Atlantis in 2004 and Stargate Universe in 2009. Stargate Origins, a prequel web series created by Mark Ilvedson and Justin Michael Terry, was released online in 2018.
No New Stargate Projects in the Works
The aforementioned series Wright refers to in his tweet was first teased by the co-creator in September 2018. Wright continued to offer periodic updates on the potential series through 2021, confirming that the project would be a continuation of his previous Stargate series and not a reboot. He also stated that his script featured the SG-1 characters of Daniel Jackson, Cameron Mitchell, Samantha Carter and Jack O'Neill, portrayed by Michael Shanks, Ben Browder, Amanda Tapping and Richard Dean Anderson, respectively, in the series.
The new Stargate series isn't the only project in the franchise to have trouble coming to fruition. A reboot film was announced in 2014 by MGM and Warner Bros., with both Emmerich and Devlin attached as director and producer, respectively. The film was set to be the first in a new Stargate trilogy. Devlin, however, revealed in November 2016 that the reboot trilogy plans had stalled and were no longer in active development. No additional updates on the status of the project have been revealed at this time.
All Stargate series are currently available on the streaming service Pluto TV.
Source: Twitter