 
GW: As positive of a spin as the press release is putting on things, a lot of sites that are reporting the news obviously see "cancellation" as the big news. That's the big headline. How would you respond to the suggest that I think some people have made online so far that Atlantis getting cancelled is a sign that the franchise is wearing out?
BW: Honestly, I think that that is kind of short-sighted. Because of the game coming, because of a new series, because of the announcement of two more movies.
It'll wear out when we stop making good shows that people want to see. And as long as we are putting our hearts and our effort into making the upcoming series and upcoming movie as good as they can be -- and as long as we still feel they're vital -- I think it's going to keep going strong.
People are always going to say that. And people are going to try to lay blame to us or to SCI FI or to MGM. And the truth is, this is not a positive spin -- it is positive thing! I genuinely feel good about it. A lot of people said SG-1 should have kept going. Well, had it done that there is a very strong possibility we would never have done the movies. And that would have been a huge regret for me.
Stargate SG-1's 10 seasons is the exception and not the rule, Wright says. | |
GW: SG-1 obviously set the bar very, very high, as the first show out of the gate. Do you think that six or seven years is an unrealistic expectation, even for a Stargate show?
BW: I think that one of the reasons why Stargate [SG-1]'s life was so long was that we really did shift networks halfway through. We were five years on Showtime, and then we were five years on SCI FI. People forget that. People also forget the fact that in Seasons Nine and Ten it was practically a new series. Creatively, it was a huge shift. Continuum was obviously a shift back to the little bit older days. But ten years is going to be the exception, not the rule.
And I will never, ever apologize or feel bad -- or suggest that anyone around here should feel bad -- for a 5-year run. That is, in television, a homerun by any definition.
GW: Absolutely. Five years and 100 episodes ...
BW: Especially if at the same time and in the same breath, your network and your studio are saying, "Now let's do movies." This is good.
GW: Yeah, I think it's really hard to look at this situation and call it a failure. Especially if we turn around and get another series green-lit here in the near future!
And that's the outstanding question. In between these two announcements right now, it feels like ... movies are great, but in terms of getting a full series of television it feels like SCI FI's commitment to the franchise may be waning. What do you think about that? Is SCI FI still our long-term home for this franchise?
BW: Yes. Look, we have had huge support from these guys. I was just at Comic-Con. Dave Howe, Tom Vitale, Mark Stern -- all those guys have all been very positive and very supportive. And like I said, we wouldn't be getting into this deal going forward with them if we didn't feel that way.
GW: Now how do you respond to the Atlantis fans who might be angry that their show is being pushed aside for the "new kid on the block," Stargate Universe?
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Stargate Atlantis has had a great five years to tell stories, Wright says. |
BW: It's not the case. It's not the case that anything is being pushed aside, any more than SG-1 is pushed aside. Shows have a life, and they live their life ... SG-1 went five years on SCI FI. Atlantis went five years on SCI FI. I'm proud of that, and there are always going to be people -- there were people who were upset after 10 years! As many, I'm sure, as who were upset after the five years of Atlantis. There will always be a point where those people are disappointed.
This is a way of preserving Atlantis going forward in a very strong way.
GW: Yeah. You know, I've been speculating for about a year now (just quietly to myself) that unless Atlantis and Universe either run together or have at least a year of separation -- if Universe immediately follows Atlantis under any circumstances -- there will always be people who assume that Atlantis got cancelled for Universe.
BW: That's true. People are going to make that assumption. But you know, as I said, I'm not MGM and I'm not SCI FI's business affairs. But what we have come up with together I think is the best way to go forward that we can.
GW: So what are the plans for the Atlantis set? Will that and Stargate Command continue to occupy Stages 5 and 6 [at The Bridge Studios]?
BW: For now, absolutely. Atlantis is still there, and will still be there for a while ... which means we'd better start doing movies! [Laughter] These are expensive stages.
GW: So are there plans to start shooting either of these movies the first of this [next] year?
BW: Soon. There's obviously deals that have to be put into place, and scripts to be written. I had a third Stargate movie idea during the shooting of Continuum, I started coming up with the idea. That one could happen sooner rather than later ... but I may be very busy, too.
Next year could be a very, very busy year for Stargate. Let's put it that way!
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