Sci Fi Announces The Cast Of Stargate Universe

Ming-Na (ER, Vanished) is Camile Wray, a human resources executive with the international oversight committee that governs the Stargate program.

Source: NBC / Universal

The SCI FI Channel has confirmed Lou Diamond Phillips, Ming-Na, Elyse Levesque and Alaina Huffman as cast members of the highly anticipated new original series SGU: Stargate Universe, which began production last week in Vancouver. They join the previously announced stars Robert Carlyle, Justin Louis, David Blue, Jamil Walker Smith and Brian J. Smith in the latest adventure of the Stargate franchise produced by MGM television.

Edgier and younger in tone, SGU will take the franchise in a dynamic new direction, appealing to longtime Stargate fans and first-time viewers alike. The two-part premiere of Universe is being directed by Andy Mikita (Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1) and lensed by Rohn Schmidt (The Shield, The Mist). The series is expected to premiere in October 2009.

SGU follows a band of soldiers, scientists and civilians, who must fend for themselves as they are forced through a Stargate when their hidden base comes under attack. The desperate survivors emerge aboard an ancient ship, which is locked on an unknown course and unable to return to Earth. Faced with meeting the most basic needs of food, water and air, the group must unlock the secrets of the ship's Stargate to survive. The danger, adventure and hope they find on board the Destiny will reveal the heroes and villains among them.

The cast includes:

Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting, The Full Monty) stars as Dr. Nicholas Rush, one of the most brilliant scientific minds, whose motives are not what they appear to be.

Lou Diamond Phillips (Che, La Bamba) is Colonel Telford, a proud lifelong military man, who puts his faith in the chain of command. Stubbornly confident, he's highly regarded by his superiors. He is the chosen leader of the ill-fated expedition.

Justin Louis (Hidden Hills, The Fighting Fitzgeralds) portrays Colonel Everett Young, an experienced Stargate team leader. Married, with years of tough decisions under his belt, life has taught him never to take anything for granted. He stays on top of his team so they stay alive.

Brian J. Smith (The War Boys, Hate Crime) is Lt. Matthew Scott, a junior member of the Stargate team. Green and rough around the edges, he is thrust into the role of leader well before he's ready for the responsibility and must learn to command, earn respect through action, and manage the diverse personalities aboard the ship.

Elyse Levesque (Smallville, Men in Trees) stars as Chloe Armstrong, the daughter and aid of a U.S. Senator. Politically savvy, but with a wild side, she is considering following in her father's footsteps, until she finds herself trapped on the ship. As tensions rise, her character will be tested and her place among the group revealed.

David Blue (Ugly Betty, Moonlight) stars as Eli Wallace, a total slacker, who just happens to be an utter genius with anything he puts his mind to - mathematics, computers, video games. A lack of confidence has left him with an acerbic sense of humor.

Alaina Huffman (Smallville, Painkiller Jane) portrays MSGT. Tamara Johansen. Unable to afford medical school, the Air Force was the best option for the strong-willed field medic. Faced with the mounting pressure and a lack of in-depth experience, she will be forced to rise to the extraordinary occasion of needing to treat the seriously wounded.

Jamil Walker Smith (Waynehead, Sister, Sister) portrays MSGT. Ronald Greer, a Marine with a temper you don't want to mess with. His past is mysterious but it's clear something dark formed the hard shell around him.

Ming-Na (ER, Vanished) is Camile Wray, a human resources executive with the international oversight committee that governs the Stargate program. Now the highest ranking member of that division left stranded on the ship, she carries herself with a misguided sense of superiority over the other military and civilian survivors.

Brad Wright and Robert Cooper, of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, will serve as executive producers and writers on the new series.

Stargate Universe will debut as a two-hour movie event on SCI FI and will be distributed by MGM Worldwide Television Distribution.

See Also: Sci Fi To Premiere Stargate Movies This Spring / Atlantis And Sanctuary Finales Score Big For Sci Fi / Top Ten Hottest Women Of 2008 / Robert Carlyle Has A Date With A Stargate Not A Tardis / Sci Fi Orders Another Season Of Sanctuary / Sci Fi To Premiere Two Stargate Movies In 2009 / Sci Fi To Air Stargate Universe In 2009 /Sci Fi To Produce A New Two Hour Stargate Atlantis Movie / Actress Profile - Grace Park / Amanda Tapping To Star In Sanctuary

Sci Fi To Premiere Stargate Movies This Spring

Source: NBC / Universal

Fans of the hit Stargate television franchise will rejoice this spring when SCI FI presents the U.S. premiere of the two highly successful films Stargate: The Ark of Truth and Stargate: Continuum. Beginning on Friday, March 27 at 9 PM/ET, get set for The Ark of Truth and then tune in on Friday, April 3 at 9 PM/ET for Continuum.

Continuing the legacy and thrilling journey of the popular Stargate SG-1 television series, Stargate: The Ark of Truth picks up after "Unending," the SG-1 series finale. Searching for an ancient weapon which could help them defeat the sinister Ori force, SG-1 discovers it may be in the Ori's own home galaxy, and the crew finds themselves fighting two powerful enemies. The film stars series favorites Amanda Tapping (2005 Saturn Award, Best Supporting TV Actress), Golden Globe® winner and three-time Emmy Award® winning actor Beau Bridges, Michael Shanks, Ben Browder, Christopher Judge, and Claudia Black. Robert C. Cooper serves as writer/director and co-executive producer along with Brad Wright. Both men are the co-creators of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis and currently serve as executive producers on Atlantis.

Stargate: Continuum, the adrenaline-driven, action adventure film, has members of SG-1 returning to a world where their history has been dramatically altered. Continuum reunites Richard Dean Anderson as Jack O'Neill, with all the series favorite crewmembers. The most northern filmed movie production in history. Stargate: Continuum features incredible visual effects, out-of-this-world battle sequences and breathtaking scenes shot on the Arctic ice. Directed by Martin Wood (Sanctuary) and written by Brad Wright, the film finds Ba'al as he travels back in time and tries to prevent the Stargate program from ever being started. The SG-1 team must somehow restore history and once again save the galaxy from oppressive domination.

See Also: Atlantis And Sanctuary Finales Score Big For Sci Fi / Top Ten Hottest Women Of 2008 / Robert Carlyle Has A Date With A Stargate Not A Tardis / Sci Fi Orders Another Season Of Sanctuary / Sci Fi To Premiere Two Stargate Movies In 2009 / Sci Fi To Air Stargate Universe In 2009 /Sci Fi To Produce A New Two Hour Stargate Atlantis Movie / Actress Profile - Grace Park / Amanda Tapping To Star In Sanctuary

Robert Carlyle Has A Date With A Stargate Not A Tardis

Source: NBC / Universal

Looks like you can take Robert Carlyle's name off this list of potential Doctor Who replacements.

Award-winning Scottish actor Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting, The Full Monty) has been cast in the leading role of Dr. David Rush on SCI FI's highly anticipated new original series, Stargate Universe, the latest adventure in the Stargate franchise produced by MGM television. Production will begin in Vancouver in February '09 with an eye toward a summer 2009 premiere. Additional casting is currently underway.

"We couldn't be more excited to set Robert Carlyle for Stargate Universe. He brings a depth, intelligence, and complexity to his roles, which will fit perfectly with the fresh, new reinvention of this franchise, "said Mark Stern, Executive Vice President, Original Programming for SCI FI & Co-Head Original Content, Universal Cable Productions.

Edgier and younger in tone than the two previous series, SGU follows a band of soldiers, scientists and civilians, who must fend for themselves as they are forced through a Stargate when their hidden base comes under attack. The desperate survivors emerge aboard an ancient ship missing in the far reaches of space. As they fight to survive, Dr. Rush (Carlyle) works to unlock the mysteries of the ship and return the group home, but evidence of his ulterior motives soon arises.

Brad Wright and Robert Cooper, co-creators of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis and who both currently serve as executive producers on Atlantis, will serve as executive producers and writers on the new series.

Carlyle is best recognized for his roles as Francis Begbie in Danny Boyle's hit independent film Trainspotting and the stripper Gaz in The Full Monty, which earned him both a BAFTA and SAG Award for his outstanding performance. His career began in the UK where he gained attention in the British television series Cracker featuring Robbie Coltrane. He has starred in such films including 28 Weeks Later, The World Is Not Enough, Angela's Ashes and The Beach, where he re-teamed with Boyle. His television credits include the Emmy-winning miniseries Hitler: The Rise of Evil, and Human Trafficking, which garnered him an Emmy Award nomination. He recently starred in 24: Redemption opposite Keifer Sutherland.

Stargate Universe will debut as a two-hour movie event on SCI FI and will be distributed by MGM Worldwide Television Distribution.

See Also: Is Robert Carlyle Going To Be The Next Doctor? / Sci Fi To Premiere Two Stargate Movies In 2009 / Sci Fi To Air Stargate Universe In 2009 /Sci Fi To Produce A New Two Hour Stargate Atlantis Movie / Actress Profile - Grace Park / Amanda Tapping To Star In Sanctuary /

Sci Fi To Premiere Two Stargate Movies In 2009

Source: NBC / Universal

The SCI FI Channel has acquired the U.S. television rights to the two highly successful Stargate films Stargate: The Ark of Truth and Stargate: Continuum, which will mark their U.S. television premiere on the Channel. Both films are set to air in Spring 2009.

Continuing the legacy and thrilling journey of the popular Stargate SG-1 television series, Stargate: The Ark of Truth picks up after "Unending," the SG-1 series finale. Searching for an ancient weapon which could help them defeat the sinister Ori force, SG-1 discovers it may be in the Ori's own home galaxy, and the crew finds themselves fighting two powerful enemies. The film stars series favorites Amanda Tapping (2005 Saturn Award, Best Supporting TV Actress), Golden Globe® winner and three-time Emmy Award® winning actor Beau Bridges, Michael Shanks, Ben Browder, Christopher Judge, and Claudia Black. Robert C. Cooper serves as writer/director and co-executive producer along with Brad Wright. Both men are the co-creators of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis and currently serve as executive producers on Atlantis.

Stargate: Continuum, the adrenaline-driven, action adventure film, has members of SG-1 returning to a world where their history has been dramatically altered. Continuum reunites Richard Dean Anderson as Jack O'Neill, with all the series favorite crewmembers. The most northern filmed movie production in history, Stargate: Continuum features incredible visual effects, out-of-this-world battle sequences and breathtaking scenes shot on the Arctic ice. Directed by Martin Wood (Sanctuary) and written by Brad Wright, the film finds Ba'al as he travels back in time and tries to prevent the Stargate program from ever being started. The SG-1 team must somehow restore history and once again save the galaxy from oppressive domination.

See Also: Sci Fi To Air Stargate Universe In 2009 /Sci Fi To Produce A New Two Hour Stargate Atlantis Movie / Actress Profile - Grace Park / Amanda Tapping To Star In Sanctuary /

Sci Fi To Air Stargate Universe In 2009

Source: NBC / Universal

The SCI FI Channel and MGM Television Entertainment have reached an agreement to extend MGM's Stargate brand with a new series for the Channel. Production on the first season of Stargate Universe, a weekly series based on the popular Stargate franchise, will begin in early 2009, with the show targeted to premiere that Summer. Brad Wright and Robert Cooper, co-creators of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis and who both currently serve as executive producers on Atlantis, will serve as executive producers and writers on the new series.

"SCI FI has enjoyed tremendous success with Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis and we're proud to be the home of the new Stargate Universe," said Mark Stern, Executive Vice President, Original Programming for SCI FI & Co-Head Original Content, Universal Cable Productions. "Universe will continue the Stargate legacy of vibrant storylines and compelling adventures, but will re-invent the format in a whole new way."

"The Stargate franchise enjoys a loyal and substantial fan base that welcomes each new installment with fevered enthusiasm," said Charles Cohen, Senior Executive Vice President and Corporate Development for MGM. "We are delighted to be working again with Brad and Robert and look forward to seeing new adventures with the launch of Stargate Universe on SCI FI Channel next year. Stargate Universe will continue the longstanding relationship between MGM's stellar science fiction franchise and cable's premiere destination for all passionate science fiction fans."

Thomas Vitale, Senior Vice President Programming & Original Movies said, "Stargate Universe is a natural progression for the Stargate brand and for our network. Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis have been key drivers for SCI FI and we are looking forward to seeing where this next chapter leads, as each new installment of the Stargate franchise further engages the SCI FI audience."

Wright and Cooper said: "In 'Universe,' we plan to keep those elements that have made the franchise a success, such as adventure and humour, while breaking new ground in the relationships between mostly young and desperate explorers, thrust together and far from home. Above all, we believe the Stargate itself remains an enduring icon with infinite potential as a jumping off point for telling stories."

After unlocking the mystery of the Stargate's ninth chevron, a team of explorers travels to an unmanned starship called the Destiny, launched by The Ancients at the height of their civilization as a grand experiment set in motion, but never completed.

What starts as a simple reconnaissance turns into a never ending mission, as the Stargate Universe crew discovers the ship is unable to return to Earth, and they must now fend for themselves aboard the Destiny.

The crew will travel to the far reaches of the universe, connecting with each of the previously launched Stargates, thus fulfilling the Destiny's original mission. Challenges will arise though as the ship comes into range of Stargates placed centuries ahead of the Destiny and the crew is unable to control the ship's navigational schedule. If someone is left behind, there is no way to go back for them, adding to the drama of encountering new races, enemies and adventures.

Stargate Universe will debut as a two-hour movie event on SCI FI. Following its premiere, Universe will assume a regular hourly slot in Summer 2009.

Universe will be distributed by MGM Worldwide Television Distribution.

See Also: Sci Fi To Produce A New Two Hour Stargate Atlantis Movie / Actress Profile - Grace Park / Amanda Tapping To Star In Sanctuary /