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It's been rumoured on and off for almost two decades, but now it looks as if the ORIGINAL Stargate film (released in 1994) will be getting a follow-up/reboot on the cinema-screen. The first film, originally part of a possible trilogy, didn't get a big-screen sequel but did, of course, get the hugely successful television show that ran for a decade. However, while respectful of that success, the men behind the film - Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin had nothing to do with the tv show and admitted that the creative decisions were probably not the way they had intended to go with the films.
The concept of Stargate involved an ancient ring being uncovered in the Egyptian desert and its secrets unlocked by a brilliant young scientist and linguist Daniel Jackson (James Spader) whose wilder theories had kept him on the fringes of his profession. The ring, or 'Stargate', turns out to be a cosmic portal and when activated it leads to another world dominated by beings who appear to be ancient Egyptian gods. Jackson and a military team led by Kurt Russell's Captain Jack O'Neil (one 'l') must find out as much as they can about this other world and if the gateway poses a threat.
The later tv show launched in 1998 and starred Richard Dean Anderson as O'Neill (two 'l's!) and Michael Shanks as Jackson. It also introduced new characters such as Samantha Carter (played by Amanda Tapping) and Teal'c (Christopher Judge). The series also spawned several feature-length specials before finishing in 2007.
MGM and Warner Bros. have announced they are teaming with the duo to create what is described as 'a re-imagined trilogy' based on the original film with Emmerich directing and Devlin producing. The two men have continued to have successes. Devlin co-created the hit shows, The Librarian and the fan-favourite cons-as-heroes dramedy Leverage. Emmeriich's big-screen disaster movies, including 1998's Godzilla, 2004's The Day After Tomorrow and 2009's 2012 are almost a genre unto themselves. The team is already involved with another cinematic follow-up from their back-catalogue, a sequel to Independence Day .
In a statement the duo said:
“The Stargate universe is one that we missed terribly, and we cannot wait to get going on imagining new adventures and situations for the trilogy. This story is very close to our hearts, and getting the chance to revisit this world is in many ways like a long lost child that has found its way back home.”
