Stargate Universe: final cast members set (two articles)

[wraithfodder]

Got this Google alert...

'Smallville' alums join cast

Feb 24, 2009, 07:59 PM | by Michael Ausiello

 

 Sci Fi Channel's newest Stargate incarnation has added two more crew members.

 

ER vet Ming-Na and Smallville grad Elyse Levesque have come aboard Stargate Universe, sources confirm to me exclusively. The pair join previously announced recruits Robert Carlyle, Justin Louis, David Blue, Jamil Walker Smith and Brian J. Smith.

 

Sci Fi's third SG series, which is scheduled to bow in October, follows a diverse group of soldiers, scientists, and civilians who are stranded on an ancient ship in the far reaches of space.

 

Ming-Na will play Camille Wray, an HR bigwig and the highest-ranking survivor. Levesque, meanwhile, stars as Chloe Armstrong, the wild and immature daughter of a U.S. Senator.

 

Production on SG-U got underway last week in Vancouver.

 

http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/02/stargate-exclus.html

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i03e9df1ef7d2112b7755168dec9c026e


Lou Diamond Phillips, Ming-Na, Elyse Levesque and Alaina Huffman round out the cast of Sci Fi Channel's new original series "SGU: Stargate Universe."

The four join previously cast Robert Carlyle, Justin Louis, David Blue, Jamil Walker Smith and Brian J. Smith on the MGM TV-produced series, which began production last week in Vancouver.

Edgier than its franchise predecessors, "SGU" follows a band of soldiers, scientists and civilians who must fend for themselves after they are forced through a Stargate when their hidden base is attacked. The survivors, led by Dr. Nicholas Rush (Carlyle), emerge aboard an ancient ship, which is locked on an unknown course and unable to return to Earth.

Phillips, repped by Global Artists and manager JB Roberts, will play Col. Telford, a lifelong military man and the chosen leader of the ill-fated expedition.

ICM-repped Ming-Na will play Camile Wray, a human resources executive with the international oversight committee that governs the Stargate program.

Levesque ("Smallville") will play Chloe Armstrong, the daughter and aide of a U.S. senator. She is repped by Kirk Talent Agencies. Huffman ("Smallville") will play MSgt. Tamara Johansen, a field medic assigned to treat the seriously wounded. She is repped by the Paul Kohner Agency and New Wave.

"SGU" is slated to launch in October with a two-part opening episode directed by Andy Mikita



.....While I won't lie - I am more interested in the guys than the gals on any show - I can't help but wonder what the hold-up was in announcing the casting. Now, Ming-Na is a good actress. I remember her from E.R. Elyse Levesque, I probably have seen (she was in a storm movie - Ii've seen most of those) but honestly, young pretty women tend to all look alike on TV. And I cant' say that a spoiled brat type character is something that lures me to a show. but anyway, but for anyone curious.

Most of my SGU posts will go to the SGU livejournal community - http://community.livejournal.com/sgu_destiny/.

Comments

[zats-clear.livejournal.com]

Ming-Na rocks. She was amazing in Joy Luck Club, a movie you should definitely catch if you have not seen before. I am a little baffled by LDP but hey, I can watch that ;)

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

I think Lou Diamond will be the Robert Patrick of SGU ;)

[abracah.livejournal.com]

Well Lou Diamond Phillips is a well known face. Hubby says "He is a well known face that has been doing lots of crap movies, so it probably wasn't hard to get him" I did like him in Young Guns.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Yeah, lots of actors do crap movies cuz the quality of writing has gone down the toilet. I mean, most movies on SciFi just suck... he was decent in BATS though... I'll bet his character dies...

[parisindy.livejournal.com]

young guns rocks hehe.. not that i am a child of the 80's.. ehm

[k8t85.livejournal.com]

I loved Mind-Na on ER. I'm happy to see more Asians on TV; the more the marrier in my mind.

LDP is awesome, I loved him on Psych and Numb3rs. I thought the same thing...LDP is probably going to be the Robert Patrick of SGU. If he is the that's ok too, I would love to see him again on Numb3rs as Ian Edgerton. :D

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

I think they've got some good actors (though the same of SGA too, sigh). However, don't know if the writing will match ;)

[parisindy.livejournal.com]

my only comment is one giant m'eh

[gatedialer.livejournal.com]

I second that!


I want to give this show a chance but I am still so pissed off that I just don't give a rats ass about SGU.


Oh boy I am exhausted, haven't slept in two days LOL

[parisindy.livejournal.com]

hehe i've been pissed off since season 3 so i so get that lol

[wildcat88.livejournal.com]

I was rather surprised (and delighted) to read this today.

[medievalcamelot.livejournal.com]

Hmmm...I liked Ming-Na's character on ER to start off with. By then end though, I didn't care for her. Could be just the writing though because I stopped watching ER all together around the same time.

Lou Diamond Phillips is seriously one of my least favorite actors ever. Cheesy acting, cheesy actor. Yet again though, that may all be the writing. Andromeda Strain was really, really, really bad.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Yeah, ER is sometimes something you suffer through... I like some actors but can't tolerate the writing, so bailed, but will come back for the final four.

Oh god, Andromeda Strain sucked. Why they remade that move is beyond me? Oh wait, no originality left in Hollywood ;)

[katikat.livejournal.com]

I love Lou Diamond Phillips, he can do both funny and serious in a terrific way. Too bad that he wasn't cast as Col. Nash, then I would have actually looked forward to this show. But looking at the cast...

Col. Telford -> Col. Sumner
Col. Nash -> Maj. Sheppard
Camille Wray -> Elizabeth Weir
Tamara Johansen -> Jennifer Keller
Sgt. Ronald Greer -> Lt. Ford/Ronon

So, we get the Asian bigwig (SGA's Tamlyn Tomita) and the black brute. And the rest of the cast is, of course, blindingly white and blond.

I mean, I know that people said the same thing about SGA vs. SG-1 but those two shows didn't have such a similar premise too - stranded in space with no way to get home: Atlantis vs. Destiny.

I just don't see how they want to "attract new and younger viewers" by basically copying the SGA cast and slapping famous names on them.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Yeah the characters are more than similiar. Cookie-cut stamp 'we need this character.'

[cimmerdeux.livejournal.com]

I've given up on SGU. I realized that I didn't care whether it was good or not because of the people creating it. I no longer wish them well so why waste time and money on the series? Besides with this new info all I can see is an attempt to match up actors and characters in an attempt to create a Stargate version of Battlestar Galactica.

I fear my Stargate days are over. sigh

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

After reading the lineup, it does look very suspiciously like battlestar lite...

[cimmerdeux.livejournal.com]

I can hear the conversation with MGM and Skiffy:

"BSG is ending this season. We'd like to keep that crowd. Are you sure you can do a Stargate show that will attract BSG viewers?"

(Fingers crossed behind their back) "Oh, yes, no worries there, just give us the green light for SGU this season and we can attract that audience. We'll make the cast younger, more epic feel to the stories and serialize it. You'll get all the stargate viewers plus those BSG viewers. Trust us."

Have we seen the writers be able to pull off this large of an ensemble cast ever? What always happens in Stargate; they focus in on four or five actors and leave the rest alone.

It's like watching a train wreck in slo mo.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

It's unfortunate I have little if any faith in the creative staff to pull this off.

[alyssa22.livejournal.com]

Ming-Na??? On this piece of crap??

How the mighty have fallen...

Given her previous work, you'd think she'd know to avoid this like the plague.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

I am getting the feeling she's semi-regular, so isn't tied so much to the show, and alas, in this job market, you sometmes take what you can get. It's a dreadful thing to say but if you're female, and not 20ish and blonde with a rack, well, your employment options are limited.

[luveskane.livejournal.com]

Well shoot, now I will have to at least give this a look because I love me some Lou Diamond Phillips!!!

He is one of those actors I have always enjoyed watching but never really paid much attention to until I saw him do A Few Good Men with Jensen Ackles a couple of years ago on stage. he blew me away!!

[faekitty71.livejournal.com]

Wow, the show won't be all Zygotes. Still not watching. Kind of like my stargate show to have a Stargate. (Rodney and Sheppard would be good too)

[tavabean.livejournal.com]

Interesting cast, but I still have no interest in the show itself for some reason.
I'm not going to watch it as it runs, perhaps later someday, right now I just can't bring myself to want to watch.
I honestly didn't think I'd stay this bitter about the cancellation of SGA but it has tainted any enjoyment whatsoever that I might have gotten out of this newest installment of the franchise. A shame.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

While I am following all the news, and think some of the cast is pretty neat, I'm not "oh wow ,this is great!" about the concept of sGU. I'm much more intersted in what the SGA cast will be doing now that they're available for work.

[jedi40.livejournal.com]

I thought they said that the cast was going to be made up of unknown actors.....I know a lot on this list.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Yeah, lots of changes... maybe they fear the quality of writing alone *bwahaha!* will not pull in an audience ;)

[jedi40.livejournal.com]

Even with this cast I will not watch it.

[inalaska2004.livejournal.com]

"Sci Fi's third SG series, which is scheduled to bow in October, follows a diverse group of:
soldiers ........Sheppard and Lorne?
scientists.......McKay and Zelenka?
civilians .......Weir and Woolsey?
who are stranded on an ancient ship...Atlantis?(where the ancient city flies thru space like a ship)
in the far reaches of space ...like Pegasus?

so SGA, SGA, SGA, SGA and, umm yeah, SGA.

what's the difference between SGA and SGU? the letters AU, which we know as 'Alternate Universe', which is where apparently Brad Wright lives.