There’s a lot of hype going on surrounding the new Stargate show, with fans both optimistic and cautious because of the way Amazon Prime Video has handled franchises in the past. Michael Shanks, who played Daniel Jackson in Stargate SG-1, admits there were problems with The Lord Of The Rings, but is hopeful they will be faithful with the new Stargate show.
There’s been a lot of news flowing about the new Stargate show as it’s been hyped by Joseph Mallozzi, one of the original Stargate SG-1 writers, who is attached to the new project. Fans have been optimistic as several of the original show writers have mentioned they’re attached, along with the good news that this won’t be a reboot or a prequel, but a new series aimed at the future.
However, there is some concern that Martin Gero, the new showrunner, might cause issues with the new Stargate over woke elements, as he recently helmed a reboot of Quantum Leap, which didn’t fare well with viewers.
Michael Shanks appeared on the Dial The Gate YouTube channel to talk about the new show and share his thoughts.
The interview lasted over 30 minutes, during which the former Stargate SG-1 actor expressed his appreciation for the fandom and the creators of the original show. While he didn’t have much information about the new iteration of Stargate, he did note that he received an e-mail alerting him to the new show almost immediately, which he appreciated, as he considers it rare in Hollywood to be treated with such respect.
“They’re putting fans first, not the corporation first,” Shanks said. “It’s so heartening and so different.”
He then contrasted how these producers treated him vs. how the Charmed reboot was handled, noting that the new actors would say things, while the elder ones were caught off guard by the show even existing. He also stated that such care and respect is a good sign for the new show, as it seems that Amazon Prime Video, the producers, the distributors, and writers really want to handle this franchise with similar respect.
“Hats off to Amazon Prime,” he said, reiterating his happiness with the new announcement. At which point he threw a little shade at prior reboots of past franchises: “I don’t know if they’re out there, but some fan out there was screaming, ‘yeah, what we want is a whole new vision, so hire J.J. Abrams to bring new Stargate. Cuz everyone that I talk to in the fan world was saying we gotta have the original creators before. To at least give them first crack at this.”
“How often does this happen with bigger properties like Lord Of The Rings?” Shanks posits, as he clearly indicates, that The Rings Of Power was botched. He makes a noise that indicates his displeasure with it. He then continued, “…that things get rolled out with the original visionaries being ignored, that don’t necessarily turn out so well.”
While it wouldn’t be possible to have J.R.R. Tolkien involved, perhaps he meant Peter Jackson with the film iteration of The Lord of the Rings that was handled so well. He didn’t clarify beyond this statement, but he did echo what many fans have been thinking about Rings of Power being a bastardization of the original work.
What do you think of Michael Shanks' statement about The Rings of Power?
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Tbh: I’d feel a lot more confident if Malozzi had been the showrunner instead of Gero.
(MALOZZI IS BRILLIANT AND EVERYONE NEEDS TO WATCH DARK MATTER THE 2015 SHOW HE CREATED!)
We’ve gotten the bait and switch too many times by now, so while I’m CAUTIOUSLY optimistic, I wouldn’t be surprised to see weird tranny species and a “brilliant” POC scientist in a wheelchair as one of the new main four.
In all likelihood, this series will just be another butchering of an IP that people once enjoyed--i.e. Tolkien, the forthcoming James Bond; ideally consumers would stop watching these inferior updates of classics, and show Amazon they've had enough reboots, remakes, and re-imaginings...