On the heels of yesterday’s update on the status of director Roland Emmerich’s much-anticipated Independence Day sequel comes some exciting news about another one of Emmerich’s 1990s sci-fi hits. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures, together with Emmerich and Dean Devlin, are partnering to launch a new feature film trilogy that reimagines 1994’s Stargate. The announcement was made today by Gary Barber, MGM’s Chairman and CEO. Emmerich, who directed and co-wrote the original film with Devlin, is confirmed to direct and Devlin will produce.
Word of a reboot of the 1994 film first broke last year when Emmerich said that he and creative partner Dean Devlin approached MGM about building a reboot trilogy. Emmerich co-wrote and directed the original 1994 film, which starred Kurt Russell, James Spader, Jaye Davidson and Alexis Cruz.
At the time of its release, Stargate grossed nearly $200 million at the global box office. The franchise has since spawned three live-action television spin-offs, one animated series and two direct-to-DVD feature films.
Barber said, “We couldn’t be more excited to once again partner with Roland and Dean, the world-class creators of the original ‘Stargate,’ to bring their reinvigorated vision of this wildly popular property to audiences of multiple generations.” He added, “’Stargate’ is one of the biggest titles in MGM’s vast library, and we look forward to adding this great franchise to our slate.”
“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,” said Emmerich and Devlin.
MGM will be running production on Stargate, with Jonathan Glickman, President, Motion Picture Group overseeing the project on behalf of MGM and Greg Silverman, President, Creative Development and Worldwide Production, overseeing for Warner Bros. Pictures. Worldwide distribution will be handled by Warner Bros. Pictures, with select international territories to be handled by MGM.
Glickman said, “For us at MGM, there was no version of us further developing the ‘Stargate’ franchise without Roland and Dean at the creative helm. This is their baby, and we cannot wait to bring their reenergized universe to the legions of fans around the world.”
Silverman said, “’Stargate’ created an expansive cinematic universe that has engaged fans for two decades.” He added, “Under the guidance of Roland and Dean, these new films will build upon the creativity and popularity of the first film, while delivering an original film-going experience for fans and those new to the franchise.”
Emmerich is currently shooting Stonewall, a drama about a young man’s political awakening amid the 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York, which sparked a fight for equality and paved the way for the modern gay rights movement. He is also in pre-production on ID Forever, Parts I & II, back-to-back sequels to his hit film, Independence Day.
Devlin is currently in pre-production on Geostorm, his feature directorial debut, which he co-wrote with Paul Guyot and is producing for Warner Bros. with Skydance Pictures’ David Ellison and Dana Goldberg and his Electric Entertainment team of Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan.
