February 11, 2011: A first draft! Storage awaits! The meal to end all meals! Mailbag!

Huzzah!  As hoped, I completed a first draft of the script today: four acts and a teaser, 53 glorious pages, and oodles of fun!  I'm very pleased.  This weekend, I'll do a pass on what I have and then redirect my focus to the series bible.  Whenever Paul is done with his script we'll swap, revise as necessary, then get them out to Rob, Alex, and the rest of the gang for notes.  Finally, once their notes have been incorporated, the scripts will be delivered and we'll spend the following week on pins and needles, impatiently awaiting the verdict.  If all goes well and all parties sign off, we should be in Toronto by mid-March spinning stories.  Failing that, some other interesting opportunities are suddenly waiting in the wings.

Also this weekend, I should really get around to putting away those boxes I brought back from the office.  They're filled years of Stargate material including Art Department packages, network notes, and more than a few interesting items:

SG-1 Goa'uld Pain Stick! Man, could I put this to good use!

SGU first season commemorative t-shirt!

And, of course, THAT script. For what it's worth, it involved a return mission to Pegasus, the tragic end of one relationship, the beginning of another, and a surprising progression in the alliance between one man and one wraith.

I received a text message from Tom at Refuel the other day.  He'd read I was Toronto-bound and suggested I drop by for one final, glorious meal before I leave Vancouver.  I've had some fantastic meals at Refuel (and its former incarnation, Fuel) and the thought of sitting down to an extra-special dinner has me very excited. Apparently, Chefs Rob and Ted are already throwing ideas around for dishes.

Mailbag:

Randonmness writes: "Did anyone else see this? http://twitter.com/Syfy/status/36112527372845056 Basically Syfy saying if they had the choice, Stargate Universe wouldn't be a Stargate show."

Answer: Not sure that was the intention of the response but, if it was, then that's complete and utter bullshit.  When Brad and Robert pitched SyFy the idea for Stargate: Universe, the network was VERY excited about the prospect of taking the Stargate brand in a new direction – specifically, a darker and more dramatic direction.  It's not as if Brad and Robert shoved the show down their throats.  In fact, quite the opposite. SyFy HEAVILY courted them and made it clear that SGU was the type of show they wanted on their network.

Randomness also writes: "Craig who runs Syfys twitter also mentioned that the channel was contracted for 2 seasons. So regardless of how well or bad Season 1 did, they were obligated to give a new season."

Answer: Also, as the Japanese would say: "Chotto bullshit".  The second season pick-up for the series was conditional on the performance of the first ten episodes of season 1. Those first ten episodes had to  hit an agreed-upon average rating for the second season pick-up to kick in.  If it had fallen below that threshold, SyFy would have been under no obligation to pick us up.

Bailey writes: "Joe, I am just wondering how things work in show biz with the deals and negotiations and stuff. Do writers let their agents handle almost everything to do with the contract, or do you guys get personally involved with all the finances and detail? Do producers and directors have agents to take care of that kind of thing?"

Answer: We have an agent (actually two – one for the Canadian market and another for the U.S. market) and a lawyer who handle the negotiations and contracts.  Of course, they'll always keep us updated on any developments and apprised of the various offers and counter-offers.  Of course, that's mainly for Paul's benefit because I just do it for the love of the art.

dixoholster writes: "Maybe its a good time to ask if Cooper really had creative differences with Brad and thats why he left early right?"

Answer: Wrong.  Rob left because,  after 13+ years of working on the same franchise, he wanted to do something different.  And, since leaving, he's been pretty damn busy doing just that.

Chance writes: "If you are no longer involved with the Stargate franchise who can we go to for our behind the scenes/insider information on all things Stargate?"

Answer: Whenever production starts up again, I'm sure there will be more than enough actors and behind-the-scenes personnel twittering to keep you well-updated on all the latest Stargately developments.

hal ehlrich writes: "If they were to order a 3rd season are you guys willing and able to do it ? Or are you guys wanting to go with your "new plan " .."

Answer: It depends who you mean by "you guys".  While I would love to continue work on Stargate, it looks like recent commitments will keep me busy on other projects for some time.

Narelle from Aus writes: "Do your new employers know you come with a bunch of online craz- I mean characters?"

Answer: They do now!

t'loc writes: "I don't know if joe mentioned this before, but will the production that joe is currently speaking about be shown in the US or is it a canadian only production?"

Answer: Like Stargate, it will be shot in Canada but air all over the world, including the U.S.

avabird writes: "It was a production list from a Teamsters union, and one of the projects listed was a Stargate production. Any enlightenment?"

Answer: That's a mistake.  Wish it were true, but it isn't.

crazymom1 writes: "What if you get hired by a show I'm not interested in?"

Answer: You may not be interested at first but watch an episode and you'll be hooked.