News Asimov’s “Foundation”

Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

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Asimov’s “Foundation” Becomes A Series


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Skydance, David S. Goyer (“Batman Begins,” “Da Vinci’s Demons”) and Josh Friedman (“War of the Worlds,” “Emerald City”) are reportedly teaming on an epic TV series adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s iconic science fiction trilogy “Foundation”.

Originally published as a short story series in Astounding Magazine in 1942, “Foundation” is the complex saga of humans scattered on planets throughout the galaxy and living under the rule of the Galactic Empire.

The action follows a psycho-historian who has an ability to read the future and foresees the empire’s imminent collapse. He sets out to save the knowledge of mankind from being wiped out.

Numerous attempts have been made to adapt it for film and HBO tried a series attempt not that long ago with the likes of Roland Emmerich and Jonathan Nolan attached. The main issue is that the source material’s themes and details have already been exploited in part by the “Star Wars” franchise.



 
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michaellevenson

michaellevenson

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The BBC did a radio adaptation of the three books , some time ago, it was excellent. Look.on wikipedia, THE FOUNDATION TRILOGY ( BBC RADIO), for details.
A great cast including some Who luminaries; Peter Pratt and Geoffrey Beevers, Julian Glover, Michael Kilgarriff, David Gooderson, Cyril Shaps and Prunella Scales. It was well done and stuck to the original work. The characterisation of The Mule was very chilling.
 
Gavin

Gavin

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Given the Asimov adaptations so far, I'm mildly horrified that this is being considered. If it's done well I'll be ecstatic since I'm a huge Asimov and Foundation fan. I'm not sure it'll be easy to adapt though. Based on the description it sounds like it will be starting with the prequel novels about Hari Seldon rather than the original stories. Which probably makes sense from a narrative perspective as those novels follow a regular cast through a clear story. Whereas the original Foundation stories, while following a continuing narrative, are largely self contained stories with almost no characters continuing from one part to the next. Unfortunately I can see writers taking massive liberties with the story to adapt it for a series and history has generally shown that TV/movie writers can't write as well as one of the all-time masters of science fiction.
 
M

Miguel Deton

Member: Rank 1
This is good news: a TV serialization of Asimov's 'heptalogy' would further spread the meme of a mathematical-scientific mapping of human-societal evolution, capable of an apt mapping the human-social present, and, thereby, of forecasting the human-social future, and even of thereby engineering an averting, or at least a reduction in the intensity and severity, of "dark ages" of human-social collapse. But there are already groups who are seeking to bring Asimov's science fiction into planetary-scale science fact. One such group is Foundation Encyclopedia Dialectica [F.E.D.], which has derived a rudimentary system of 'psychohistorical-dialectical meta-equations' for human societal 'meta-evolution', using a new, 'contra-Boolean algebra'. For more about this development, see www.dialectics.org .
 
Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Asimov’s “Foundation” Going Straight To Series


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Having picked up the rights in April, Apple has now handed out a ten-episode straight-to-series order for a TV series adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s seminal sci-fi novel trilogy “Foundation”.

Originally published as a short story series in Astounding Magazine in 1942, “Foundation” is the complex saga of humans scattered on planets throughout the galaxy and living under the rule of the Galactic Empire.

The action follows a psycho-historian who has an ability to read the future and foresees the empire’s imminent collapse. He sets out to save the knowledge of mankind from being wiped out.

Numerous attempts have been made to adapt it for film and HBO tried a series attempt with the likes of Roland Emmerich and Jonathan Nolan attached.

The current version has David S. Goyer (“Man of Steel,” “Da Vinci’s Demons”) and Josh Friedman (“War of the Worlds,” “Emerald City”) as executive producers.

This is only the second Apple series to start in development and get a series order, the other being the Lizzy Caplan and Aaron Paul-led “Are You Sleeping”. That series made headlines today with actress Moon Bloodgood dropping out of the series despite having filmed four episodes. Production on the series has gone on temporary hiatus and she will be recast with her scenes reshot.
 
Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
“Foundation” TV Series Loses A Showrunner


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Apple and Skydance Television’s planned TV series adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s groundbreaking sci-fi novel series “Foundation” has seen a key figure step away.


Josh Friedman exited his capacity as co-showrunner on the upcoming project, leaving writer David S. Goyer (“Da Vinci’s Demons”) as the sole showrunner at this time. Friedman will remain attached as an executive producer.

Originally published as a short story series in Astounding Magazine in 1942, “Foundation” is the complex saga of humans scattered on planets throughout the galaxy and living under the rule of the Galactic Empire.

The action follows a psycho-historian who has an ability to read the future and foresees the empire’s imminent collapse. He sets out to save the knowledge of mankind from being wiped out.

Numerous attempts have been made to adapt it for film and HBO tried a series attempt with the likes of Roland Emmerich and Jonathan Nolan attached.

The marks the second time that Friedman has left a project as showrunner, the first being TNT’s still in the works “Snowpiercer” series. No release date has yet announced for “Foundation”.
 
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