Robert Carlyle Lands Lead In Stargate Universe

Robert Carlyle has been cast as the lead in Sci Fi Channel’s new series Stargate Universe says The Hollywood Reporter. Stargate Universe, the third installment in the channel’s Stargate franchise, comes from Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis co-creators Brad Wright and Robert Cooper, who will write and executive produce the new series. Sci Fi Channel is expected to give the MGM TV-produced Stargate Universe a 20-episode order. Production on the series is slated to begin in February in Vancouver. It is targeted to launch in the summer with a two-hour premiere.

Described as edgier, darker and younger-skewing than its predecessors, Stargate Universe follows a group of soldiers, scientists and civilians left to fend for themselves when forced through a Stargate after their hidden base comes under attack. The survivors, who emerge aboard an ancient ship missing in the far reaches of space, are led by Dr. David Rush (Carlyle), who works to unlock the ship’s mysteries and return the group home but also might have ulterior motives. The network had said it was looking to cast a well-known actor as Rush and fresh faces to play the rest of the ship’s crew.