Apple’s ‘Foundation’ TV Series Is Actually Happening
Apple is moving forward with theirpreviously-announcedFoundationTV series. The Isaac Asimov adaptation has landed a 10-episode straight-to-series order for Apple’s fast-developing streaming service.Batman v SupermanwriterDavid S. GoyerandWar of the WorldswriterJosh Friedmanwill serve as executive producers and showrunners on the series, which will attempt to turn Asimov’s complex saga into something cinematic.
Deadlineconfirms the news that Apple is makingFoundationa reality. Asimov’sFoundationseries is complex and sprawling, so let’s turn to the always-accurate Wikipedia for a breakdown on the basic story:
The journey from page to screen forFoundationhas been long. New Line Cinema spent millions try to adapt theFoundationtrilogy to the screen, but couldn’t quite crack it. Columbia Pictures and Sony then scooped up the rights in 2009, with hopes of havingIndependence Daydirector Roland Emmerich helm the adaptation. That fell through as well, and HBO acquired the rights in 2014. Jonathan Nolan came aboard to produce and write the series, but this version also never came to pass (Nolan would go off and makeWestworldfor HBO instead).
Now, here we are. In 2017, Skydance struck a deal with the Asimov estate for the rights, and hired Goyer and Friedman to make aFoundationTV series a reality. Apple got involved in April of this year, and have now gone ahead and given the show a straight-to-series order. But will it work? Asimov’sFoundationsaga is iconic, and influential, but it’s also not inherently cinematic. Major changes will likely have to be made to make the series pop more for wider audiences.
No matter how it turns out,Foundationlooks to be yet another ambitious project for Apple as they develop their streaming service. The series joins other big projects like a thriller from M. Night Shyamalan, a sci-fi series from Ron Moore, aTime Banditsadaptation, several comedies, and more.
