The release includes a lot of the usual blah, blah filler, but there were a few tidbits worth catching.

SCI FI will have the exclusive worldwide television premiere of the yet to be titled Stargate Atlantis film, which will then be released on DVD by MGM. The movie will be written by Stargate Atlantis’ executive producers Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie, who also serve as series showrunners. The movie is set to follow the fifth and final season of Stargate Atlantis, as it draws to its thrilling conclusion in January 2009.”

I’ve read somewhere that the Stargate Atlantis series finale will be a cliffhanger episode, so as a fan of the tv show I’m very grateful I’ll have the opportunity to watch the resolution of the storyline at all! I can remember too many shows that don’t ever really end. If MGM and SCI FI Channel want to keep the Stargate franchise going they can’t cancel anything and leave it with unresolved endings. Who would watch after that? — Not I.

There’s also a mention in the press release about the “bigger canvas” of movies versus tv series.

“We’re excited to tell Atlantis stories on a bigger canvas. The successes of the two original Stargate DTV movies The Ark of Truth and Continuum have shown us the opportunities that the movie format offers. We have plans for both SG-1 and Atlantis to remain vital as we expand the franchise,” said Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper, co-creators of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis and who both currently serve as executive producers on Atlantis.

I can’t agree with that statement about a bigger canvas. A two-hour movie that isn’t even really two-hours long can never compare to the depth of an evolving storyline told over the course of an entire season, or even in a shorter story arc that spans several episodes.

The Ark of Truth and Continuum were both great movies, but you pay a price for stand-alone material. Missing depth, missing resonance, fewer memorable moments and the let down that comes from knowing there won’t be a chance to follow up on any intriguing bits from the movie.

Maybe they get a bigger budget for the movie, but budget in no way correlates to a “bigger canvas.”

The good news appears to be that the show might have more than one movie in its future.

“We share in the producers’ enthusiasm to move forward in this direction and we look forward to a strong and continued relationship on Stargate Atlantis in this new format,” said Thomas Vitale, Senior Vice President Programming & Original Movies.

The series will reach a milestone with the 100th episode airing in January 2009. Atlantis is executive produced by Brad Wright, Robert C. Cooper, Joseph Mallozzi, Paul Mullie, Carl Binder, and Martin Gero. Mallozzi and Mullie share the reins as showrunners.

I find it amazing that Dirty Jobs has lasted longer than Stargate Atlantis.