Stargate was a moderate hit for MGM back in 1994, bringing in $196 million at the worldwide box office. It never got a sequel, instead spawning a number of syndicated television spin-offs. That wasn't the original plan, though, as director and co-writer of the movie explains in a new interview.

Roland Emmerich claims he always had a trilogy in mind for the sci-fi epic, but that never came to fruition. While he is planning direct sequels to his other sci-fi hit Independence Day, he thinks its impossible to do the same with Stargate, as the original story's continuation needs to be immediate and the actors are far too old to return now.

Instead, the director is planning a whole new reboot that will consist of three film's bringing his original trilogy plans to the screen for the first time. This is what Roland Emmerich told Digital Spy about his plans to keep working in the Stargate universe.

"I originally wanted to make it a trilogy. Now, after all this time, I couldn't do a trilogy anymore. Because the actors look totally different. That would not work. We are talking...We went to MGM, who has the rights, and we proposed to do a sequel, but as a reboot. We want to reboot it as a movie, and then do three parts. And that's what we're doing right now. Pretty soon, we are going to have to look for a writer and star."

Its not clear if Roland Emmerich will be involved in the actual writing process, or if his original ideas will simply serve as a springboard. It's also not known at this time if he will return to direct, or if he will only serve as a producer on the project.

The original Stargate starred Kurt Russell and James Spader, with the story revolving around an interstellar teleportation device found in Egypt that leads to a planet with humans resembling ancient Egyptians who worship the god Ra. It was followed by the TV series Stargate SG-1 in 1997, Stargate: Infinity in 2002, Stargate: Atlantis in 2004 and finally Stargate Universe in 2009. Its not expected that cast members from any of these series will return, as this is a complete reboot.