Stargate to Return to TV With New Prime Video Series

With the right technology, we can bridge the past and the present, with fantastical results. That’s always been the premise of the Stargate franchise, which began life as a blockbuster movie in 1994 and soon expanded into several hit TV series, with books, comics, and more. Even though the franchise more or less sputtered out of steam with the end of Stargate Universe in 2011, our current technology can bring it back.

Stargate is set to return for a new streaming series on Prime Video. While there’s no word yet about the cast of the new show or its connection to previous series, longtime fans can rest assured that it’s in good hands. Franchise veteran Martin Gero will return as executive producer and writer for the new show, joined by producers Joby Harold and Tory Tunnell of Safehouse Pictures, who previously worked on Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Directed by Roland Emmerich, who co-wrote the script with frequent collaborator Dean Devlin, the 1994 movie Stargate starred James Spader as archeologist Daniel Jackson and Kurt Russell as soldier Jack O’Neill, who investigate a mysterious wormhole device that connects the Earth to a race of powerful aliens. The duo discovers that the aliens visited ancient Egypt and made themselves their god, including the imposing Ra (Jaye Davidson), who is making his return to the planet he ruled.

Three years after the movie’s release came Stargate SG-1, in which Richard Dean Anderson replaced Russell as Jack O’Neill and Michael Shanks took over from Spader as Dr. Jackson, joining a cast of other scientists and soldiers who explore other Stargates across the cosmos. That series gained such a devoted fan following that it not only lasted 10 seasons, but also survived a jump across networks, moving from Showtime to the Sci-Fi Channel midway through its run.

The series also spawned two other spinoff shows, Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe, as well as web series and other forms of media.

For Gero, the new Prime Video show has its roots in these many different iterations. “Twenty years ago, my first real job in television was as a Story Editor on Stargate Atlantis,” he said in a statement announcing the show. “I spent five years at the franchise working across all three series, Stargate taught me everything about making television — it’s written into my DNA.”

For those worried that 14 years and another channel will change the franchise’s fundamental DNA, Gero has nothing but reassurance. “I’m beyond thrilled that Amazon MGM Studios has entrusted me with guiding this incredible franchise into its next phase. For those who’ve kept the gate active through conventions, rewatches, and unwavering faith — this one’s for you,” he declared, before adding a welcome to neophytes. “And for those that are new to our world — I promise you’re in for something extraordinary.”

Will this new show be as amazing as the pyramids, the sphinx, and other wonders of the ancient world? Probably not, but we’ll probably get some good sci-fi action, and that’s not too bad either.

Stargate is now in production at Prime Video.