The Canceled Stargate Atlantis Sequel Movie Could Have Changed Everything

This post contains spoilers for the "Stargate" franchise.

While "Stargate Atlantis" ran for five seasons, it still had exciting stories left to tell. The series finale (which is also the show's 100th episode) — titled "Enemy at the Gate" — sets up a decisive battle between the ever-devious Wraith and the Atlantis crew. Here, the stakes are as high as they can get, with Earth's very existence brought into question, only for things to conclude on a promising, celebratory note. When this 100th "Stargate Atlantis" episode was aired, it was followed by a short trailer for 2009's "Stargate Universe," which was set to be the next big addition to the "Stargate" franchise at the time. Unfortunately, the tonally somber (and more expensive) "Stargate Universe" could barely make it past two seasons, ultimately ending with a cliffhanger with no official resolution to date.

After the Atlantis crew saves the day in the series finale, they are seen on Earth (San Francisco, to be exact), a planet whose future seems bleak and unpredictable. The possibilities for introducing dramatic conflict at this juncture were endless, from a new intergalactic threat to familiar characters being forced to re-evaluate what they know about the galaxy at large. To continue this saga, writer and executive producer Joseph Mallozzi had initially decided to extend the series finale with either a) a two-part episode that would set up a potential Season 6 or b) a direct-to-DVD standalone film titled "Stargate: Extinction" if the series got canceled. Unfortunately, neither scenario came to pass. 

With the abrupt cancellation of "Stargate Atlantis," dreams of expanding the story beyond the cathartic Season 5 finale were crushed. As for the intended sequel film, "Stargate: Extinction," it was scrapped due to budgetary concerns after the script was written. That said, we do know what "Stargate: Extinction" could have been like as a standalone tale, courtesy of Mallozzi himself, who once talked about its key plot points on the Dial the Gate webcast. Let's take a closer look at what could have been.

Director and producer Andy Mikita (who also helmed several episodes of "Stargate SG-1," "Stargate Atlantis," and "Stargate Universe") was slated to direct "Stargate: Extinction" after Mallozzi co-wrote the script with Paul Mullie. Although the creative team was pumped to bring this story to life, concerns surrounding an escalating budget and a declining interest in direct-to-DVD titles led to the project being permanently shelved. Similarly, while "Stargate" was still growing as a sci-fi franchise at the time, its hold over the genre had started to dwindle, even as loyal fans clamored for more stories that ventured beyond our Milky Way.

As for Mallozzi's scrapped script, the writer has shared some pages on his blog since then and explained key story arcs in the webcast episode linked above. Per Mallozzi, the Atlantis crew was never meant to stay on Earth, and their journey back to the eponymous underwater city would have evolved into a great test for survival:

"Atlantis is going to make its way back to Pegasus, and en route, they end up experiencing engine problems. And they end up stranded between Pegasus and the Milky Way in another galaxy. And they end up detecting a power source coming from a world [ ...] and ultimately the story that unfolds ended up laying seeds for what would [instead] be the 'Stargate Universe' story where our team meets their own descendants."

A closer look at the partial script reveals that "Stargate: Extinction" could have potentially opened with General Jack O'Neill (from "Stargate SG-1") being name-dropped before Colonel John Sheppard's (Joe Flanigan) visit to Area 51 (where the Wraith named Todd is being held). This, in turn, would have given rise to a series of events outlining the crew's efforts to return to the Pegasus galaxy, which would've been thwarted once they got stranded in the middle of nowhere. Somehow, this would've then led to time-space glitches and the arrival of alternate versions of familiar faces, setting the stage for the split timelines in "Stargate Universe." Mallozzi also argued that this film would have featured a solid arc for Todd the Wraith, as the film was supposed to present a clash between two different versions of the character and reframe our perception of the Todd we know.

But there's still hope. Amazon acquired MGM back in 2022, so there might be a teeny-tiny chance for "Stargate" to continue its thwarted or abandoned storylines in the near future. Whether we get something similar to "Stargate: Extinction" or not, any story willing to expand upon such rich, sprawling sci-fi lore is bound to be full of promise.