A few weeks ago we reported that a fifth season of Stargate Atlantis would be airing on the SciFi network sometime in the fall, just as the fourth season did back in 2007. Well, it now seems like the premiere of the new season will be moving up a couple of months.

A number of online resources, including Gateworld, TV Guide, and the personal blog of Atlantis executive producer Joseph Mallozzi, are reporting that the show will be premiering in July. "The decision on the Season Five premiere date rests with SCI FI," Mallozzi writes in his blog, "However, I'm hopeful that fans won't have to wait until the fall to see the resolution of our Season Four cliffhanger."

More news is coming out about the third Stargate series that is currently under development. According to our friends at Gateworld (we're just saying they're our friends -- they may despise us) the show now has a working title. The name is . . . drum roll, please . . . Stargate Universe.

That's actually just the working title, according to executive producer Robert C. Cooper. It sounds like a decent title anyway, and they aren't making the mistake like Paramount did when they named the last Star Trek series just Enterprise. Editorial over, back to the story. Cooper says that the new program was originally conceived as a stand-alone movie, something that would fit into the scope of the Stargate universe. However,Cooper and producer Brad Wright were able to tweak the idea enough to turn the concept into a weekly series to the glee of the studios.

Universe will be set in the current Stargate continuity but, according to Robert, it will not relate to anything that has been in any previous series. In other words, there's probably a slim chance that you'll see any crossover from older sibling Stargate Atlantis. As to when the show will air, Cooper says he and Wright will concentrate on the Universe pilot after wrapping principal photography on the two new SG-1 movies in June.

We've talked before about the new Stargate movies, and there are some rumblings and details coming out about the project. Production dates have now been set with the first movie to begin shooting in April, and the second in June. The studio is planning for a fall release, not long after the series raps up. But that isn't the best part. According to a new article at Gateworld, if DVD sales of the movies warrant it, the studio is looking to make this an ongoing franchise. It's no season 11, but it could signal a change in the way our television is delivered.

In other Stargate news, IGN has an interview with Michael Shanks. They start out talking about the company he started with Christopher Judge, Slacktwaddle. Together, the two have produced a calendar and DVD of the women of sci-fi that is available to order on their website. Perfect for festivus gift giving, and it features Michael's wife Lexa Doig, who is ridiculously beautiful. Later in the interview they get in to what it means to Michael to have had this amazing run with Stargate and what it has been like working with Claudia Black. There are also some details for the end of the series and the movies, and they do contain spoilers. Good stuff, and worth a look.

[ Thanks Mack Swift! ]

It's not official from SciFi just yet, but it sounds like Stargate SG-1 is getting cancelled. Multichannel news reports that they heard the show was cancelled on the eve of the 200th episode. Gateworld reports that it received confirmation of it from one of their sources. (Oh, and it sounds like Stargate Atlantis was renewed.)

Considering that it's on its tenth season, I'm not surprised about the news. If we take the 200th episode seriously, I'm betting the producers are looking to make a movie. Take everything you see/hear/read/channel with a grain of salt, nothing's official just yet.

[Thanks to Mack Swift for the tip]

Looks like SciFi has confirmed the cancellation (and the renewal of Atlantis). Thanks to Fred for the link]