how much did a typical Stargate episode cost to make?

[slimjim]

in any series?

[SaberBlade]

I think the average cost was around 2, to 2.5 million US dollars.

However this would vary as SG1 would cost more due to the overall higher salaries some actors would be getting after 10 seasons of work (compared to SGA's 3-5 seasons depending on actor).

[KEK]

From what I've been able to glean, we know that SGU episodes cost over $2m, and SG-1 and Atlantis costing over $1.5m, but they never really go into specifics.

[Gen. Chris]

Aha, a good question.

As Saber said, 2-2.5 million is probably a fair guess. I would say the same.

Of course with SGU the money went towards the effects more than the actors.

[slimjim]

Aha, a good question.

As Saber said, 2-2.5 million is probably a fair guess. I would say the same.

Of course with SGU the money went towards the effects more than the actors.

surly The Full Monty's leading man doesn't come cheap

[jelgate]

Cartyle probably was a little more expensive then the other actors but I don't think it would have been a huge amounts. He isn't as well known in North America as he is in Europe

[Gormagon]

This may be a dumb question, but what exactly requires all that money for one episode? Are props really that costly? Although...I can actually think of a lot of things that would add up after a while.

[jelgate]

The cast and crew specfically the cast members

[jeri]

Cartyle probably was a little more expensive then the other actors but I don't think it would have been a huge amounts. He isn't as well known in North America as he is in Europe

He is well known for accepting an "affordable" salary if it's a project he wants to do. He talked a lot about taking a new direction because the film industry in the UK was nearly dead. He has done many Indie films that couldn't pay much. But it's a good bet it was significantly higher than the others.

[jelgate]

I doubt it was much more then what a lead gets versus the other regulars due the new information you gave me and he isn't that well known over here

[jeri]

I doubt it was much more then what a lead gets versus the other regulars due the new information you gave me and he isn't that well known over here

I would think Ming-Na and LDP were close, yet their roles were not as extensive, LDP being re occurring.

[jeri]

Here's an interview from '09 where Robert Carlyle talks about how and why he took the SGU role. At about 3:20 minutes he specifically talks about his frustrations with the film industry.

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLX5eJimUgU

[KEK]

Aha, a good question.

As Saber said, 2-2.5 million is probably a fair guess. I would say the same.

Of course with SGU the money went towards the effects more than the actors.

SGU had a much larger cast with a bigger name lead, so I doubt it.

[Dr. D.]

in any series?

In any of the series, no idea. Though by the time they got around to SGU, I believe that either Mallozzi and/or Carlyle mentioned a budget. The show was given a budget - for one season - of USD$40 million ($40,000,000). Do the math, 20 episodes per season, and that's an average $2,000,000 per episode. I suspect it was more for some episodes and less for other episodes. Given an average episode duration of, say, about 43 minutes, that gives an average cost of $46,500 per minute, or $775 per second. Crazy stuff.