Posted in: Amazon Studios, MGM Television, TV | Tagged: stargate, Stargate SG-1

Stargate SG-1 Star Michael Shanks to Host Series Rewatch Podcast

Michael Shanks is channeling his energies over the Stargate reboot into an SG-1 rewatch podcast that could cover Atlantis and Universe.

Just when there was hope that Amazon MGM would bring Stargate to the small screen with a proposed reboot featuring the original creatives, led by Martin Gero, the studio dashed those hopes, canceling the project and looking to go in a different direction. Naturally, it drew the ire of fans and alumni alike, with one of the most prominent voices in SG-1 star Michael Shanks, who not only appeared in all 10 seasons of the original Jonathan Glassner and Brad Wright-created series as archaeologist Dr. Daniel Jackson, but also both TV films The Ark of Truth and Continuum, and both spinoff shows Atlantis and Universe. With the franchise back in limbo, the actor is taking his voice to the podcast sphere, as it was announced at the Save Stargate fan campaign event at San Diego Comic-Con.

Stargate SG-1 Star Michael Shanks to Launch Series Podcast

The actor, director, and writer will follow the trend of other beloved actors and creatives who are banking on fan nostalgia as part of the great pop culture zeitgeist to do a series rewatch podcast. "I'm going to break the mold here and … be the first one of the original cast to do the Stargate rewatch podcast," Shanks said. "David [Read] is going to produce it and be part of it, and we're going to get guests for every episode of 'SG-1.' If it carries on, we'll do 'Atlantis,' and we'll do 'Universe.'"

Read is the host of the Stargate interview series Dial the Gate, which celebrates the artists in front and behind the camera who built one of science fiction's most enduring franchises. "We were all going to busy with a new show, and something else to focus on for the Stargate family," Shanks said. "And then that rug got pulled out from under us. … What happens when this kind of stuff happens is I get pissed off, and then I get motivated…With this resurgence, and while everyone is waiting and hanging on with bated breath for something to happen, we're going to give something back — so we can focus our energies in one place, and people can come and celebrate the show starting at the beginning."

Shanks played Daniel, following the success of the 1994 Roland Emmerich-directed film (co-written by Dean Devlin), originally played by James Spader. As Glassner and Wright were then tasked to repurpose the story for TV, entering the SG-1 era with some creative changes involved, including casting MacGyver star Richard Dean Anderson as Col. Jack O'Neill, which was altered from the Kurt Russell-character, playing a far more damaged and darker role (with a spelling change with his last name, "O'Neil," which was alluded to in a fourth-wall breaking moment in the TV series).

Three other original characters, not in the film, were introduced with Amanda Tapping as Maj. Samantha Carter and Christopher Judge as the proud Jaffa, Teal'c, would complete the team with Don S. Davis as General George Hammond at the helm, assigning them missions to various worlds. SG-1's original home would be on Showtime for the first 5 seasons before finding a permanent home on the Sci-Fi Channel (now SYFY) from season 6 until the end with season 10. The two TV movies and spinoffs would also be SYFY exclusives, with the spacefaring Universe serving as the final series, which was canceled in 2011. For more information on the Stargate podcast, you can check it out on Gateworld.

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