The third Stargate SG-1 movie might not come to pass, actor Michael Shanks told SciFi Wire.

The much-anticipated third Stargate SG-1 movie might not come to pass, “Daniel Jackson” actor Michael Shanks told SciFi Wire. “Given the amount of time lag that’s gone on between us doing the movies, I suspect that we might be very far away from, if ever, doing another DVD movie,” he said.

“This might be the closing of the book on that particular [chapter of the] franchise.”

“I think everybody’s moving on to a certain point,” he told the site. “And with the new show doing well, everybody’s focusing their attention on that. The SG-1 idea is somewhat on the back burner, which is a little bit unfortunate, because I think one more story would have been a great way to bring Rick [Richard Dean Anderson, Jack O’Neill] back in and really go there. But you know, business is business.”

But it doesn’t mean that fans won’t get any Daniel Jackson and Jack O’Neill. Both actors will reprise their roles in the back half of Stargate Universe‘s first season.

While Anderson otherwise enjoys semi-retirement, fellow former SG-1 cast member Amanda Tapping is busy producing and starring in her own series, Sanctuary (recently renewed for a 20-episode third season).

The script for a third SG-1 movie (as well as a Stargate Atlantis film), titled Stargate: Revolution, has been written. Though the producers were hopeful that it would go into production last fall, MGM’s financial woes and a depressed DVD market have kept it waiting in the wings.

MGM, which owns the rights to the Stargate television franchise, is up for sale and is currently in the second round of bidding from Time Warner, Lionsgate, and a few other interested parties. The studio will bring potential new owners the James Bond, Rocky, and Stargate franchises,as well as a 4,000-title film library. It also owns half the rights to the two Hobbit movies being produced by Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings). The downside: MGM comes with a reported $3.7 billion in debt.

Whoever the studio’s new owner ends up being, the math for the profitability of more direct-to-DVD Stargate films has to add up.

Shanks, though, certainly isn’t giving up hope. “Never say never,” he said. “It’s always a possibility.”

Read the full report at SciFi Wire. Shanks’ first Stargate Universe appearance of 2010, in the episode “Human,” is expected to air in late April.