According to MGM executive VP Charles Cohen, the famous TV show “Stargate SG1” which began as a theatrical release in 1994 with Kurt Russell starring as Col. Jack O’ Neil and quickly moved to television with Richard Dean Anderson taking over the reigns as O’Neil, is soon to return as a theatrical big-budget movie.

The film will be derived from the series over the past ten years with the plan being to straight-arrow the movie into a third Stargate television program with all new stars and adventures.

Cohen stated that due to its phenomenal success, the current SG1 program can still be running while the movie is in production. He also indicated that if the SG-1 vehicle, starring Ben Browder, Amanda Tapping, Michael Shanks, Christopher Judge, Beau Bridges and Claudia Black remains on its 10-year rise of success, then it could easily remain on the air even after the flick is in theaters and the expected spinoff hits the small screen. If the current SG1 ends then Cohen feels it will be due to factors other than the show’s lack of ratings, which are expected to stay steady and with Anderson’s return to several episodes this season, only rise. If anything kills the show it could be those climbing salaries that become inevitable with a long-running hit series. And anything that could cause an erosion of the profits can spell death to any series, regardless of its popularity by fans.

The tenth season of Stargate SG-1 premieres July 14 on SCI FI Channel in the U.S., and this fall on Sky One in the United Kingdom. The movie could come as soon as 2008.