Before filmmakersRoland EmmerichandDean Devlinjoined forces on the 1996 blockbusterIndependence Day, they also wrote the 1994 sci-fi filmStargate, whichRoland Emmerichdirected. The film was a modest success, earning $71.5 million at the domestic box office and $196.5 million worldwide. The movie would spawn a big franchise on the small screen with the launch ofStargate SG-1in 1997, but it never got a big screen sequel. A few years ago, it was reported that the filmmakers were returning to work on areboot trilogy. Now it seems that may not happen anymore.
Empirerecently spoke withDean Devlin, who was promoting the third season of his TNT TV seriesThe Librarians, where he offered an update on theStargatereboot. While the project was looking promising for quite some time,Dean Devlinsays it is no longer happening. Here’s what he had to say below.
“It looked good for a couple of months, but now it’s not looking so good. There are just a lot of things that have to fire at the same time, and there was a moment where I thought it was all firing at the same time, and then it all kind of fell apart. It’s one of the reasons I prefer to work independently. Listen, I think if we did Stargate right, the fans would like it and we could do something really good. But if we screw it up, they’ll reject it. As they should. But I kind of don’t want to do it if I think that we’ll screw it up, and that’s one of the things that’s holding us back.”
We reported last February that the filmmakers brought onIndependence Day 2writersNicolas WrightandJames A. Woodsto write the script.Dean Devlinteased in June that the story simply couldn’t take place 20 years later, which is why the project had to be a reboot. Still, he gave no indication in June that the project had “fell apart,” which could indicate that the disappointing box office performance ofIndependence Day 2may have had something to do withStargatestalling.Independence Day 2made $103.1 million domestically and $389.6 million worldwide, from a whopping $165 million budget, with both the domestic and worldwide tallies coming under the originalIndependence Day’s totals from 20 years ago. Here’s whatDean Devlinhad to say about how the Hollywood system has changed since the firstStargatewas made.
“You’d have several studios involved and a lot of voices and, you know, you may make something great, but you also may have something that doesn’t resemble what you wanted to do. That kind of ‘collaboration’ is a terrifying aspect of the whole thing.”
Way back in December 2014, bothRoland EmmerichandDean Devlinditched their plans to make a two-partIndependence Daysequel, with the filmmakers planning on making theirStargate rebbotafterIndependence Day 2. The originalStargatecentered on the discovery of a device that created a wormhole, which allows scientists and military personnel to enter a distant world. They discovered an enslaved race of people who are direct descendants of ancient Egyptians. Perhaps this project will be resurrected at some point in the near future, but don’t expect theStargatereboot any time soon.
