Amazon’s acquisition of MGM is slowly but surely spurring a small-screen renaissance, with the studio’s forgotten IP poised to find a second life on Prime Video. Amazon has given the green light to a handful of shows based on erstwhile MGM properties, from Elle — a Legally Blonde prequel series — to a new Tomb Raider adventure. There’s much more in the pipeline, too: Amazon recently dusted off another major (if somewhat forgotten) franchise, one that could be the streamer’s answer to sci-fi behemoths like Star Wars and Star Trek.
After over a decade, the Stargate franchise is getting a new lease on life. Amazon has greenlit a new series — for now, just called Stargate — which will kick off “a bold new chapter” in the 30-year-old sci-fi saga. Stargate: Atlantis alum Martin Gero will develop the series alongside Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich, the duo who first brought the world of Stargate to life.
The franchise began with a 1994 film directed by Emmerich and co-written with Devlin, and though they originally envisioned Stargate as a big-screen trilogy, it had much more success on television. Their plans spun off into Stargate SG-1 in 1997, followed by Stargate Atlantis in 2004, Stargate Universe in 2009, and a sprinkling of smaller spin-offs in between.
A new Stargate series will bring the 30-year-old sci-fi saga back to life.
However beloved this franchise once was, it’s been years since it occupied a place in the zeitgeist. Amazon’s new series could bring the property back to life, and give the streamer the juice to compete with other franchises in the crowded sci-fi space.
“I’m beyond thrilled that Amazon MGM Studios has entrusted me with guiding this incredible franchise into its next phase,” said Gero in a statement. “For those who’ve kept the gate active through conventions, rewatches, and unwavering faith — this one’s for you. And for those that are new to our world — I promise you’re in for something extraordinary.”
There’s likely no better time for a Stargate revival. Paramount is beefing up its Star Trek universe with new films and shows, while Disney is laboring to bring the Star Wars saga back to its blockbuster roots. Amazon has a handful of decent spacefaring shows, but if it wants to compete with its contemporaries, it needs a long-running franchise of its own. Stargate is exactly that. It’s been years since the last series aired, making it ripe for reappraisal and maybe even a total reboot. It’s also got a passionate fanbase eager for more stories, so a nostalgic legacyquel — something along the lines of Star Trek: Picard — could work wonders. Whichever path Stargate takes, we could be witnessing the second coming of an underrated sci-fi saga.
