Apple Working on TV Show Adapted From Isaac Asimov's 'Foundation' Novels

[brooklynite]

MacRumors:

Apple has inked a deal for a TV series adaption of Isaac Asimov's Foundation science fiction novels, reports Deadline. The series, created by Skydance television, is in development for straight-to-series consideration.

Skydance last June scored the rights to Asimov's estate, and since then, David S. Goyer and Josh Friedman, who will serve as executive producers and showrunners, have been working on developing a TV show based on the Foundation books. Goyer has previously worked on "The Dark Knight," "Batman Begins," Ghost Rider," and more, while Friedman is known for "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" and "Emerald City."

Foundation is Isaac Asimov's most popular and well-known science fiction series, which includes titular novel Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation, along with additional books Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth.

The series follows psychohistory expert and mathematician Hari Seldon who is able to predict the future. Seldon creates a group called the Foundation to preserve humanity's collective knowledge ahead of the impending fall of the Galactic Empire. The novels span many years and cover the rise and fall of multiple empires, so it isn't a simple undertaking to adapt it into a TV show.

[Blue_Adept]

1. I love the books

But the adaptation is going to be quite different. The books are definitely of their era and their intended audience. The early foundation serialized chapters are so minimal in regards to women being involved that it's like they don't exist for much of it.

That did change in later works and when it cross with his Robots work, which was a bit better.

Such is the case with a lot of SF from that era, which has thankfully changed a whole lot.

[exboyfil]

2. I agree totally

I don't think it could translate well into a visual medium even in the 1950s or 1960s when they were written.

It is basically going to use the name with the basic theme and some plot elements. It will probably turn out to be like I Robot - exploring a what if scenario with an action driven story.

I can't say I am looking forward to it.

This along with the $250 M for the rights to non-LOTR/Hobbit Tolkien for Netflix make me question if executives really understand what is going on. I know name recognition helps to bring eyeballs, but it also turns off fans of the material if it is not true to it at least on some level.

A Foundation series, even while I enjoyed the books in the 1970s as a 9th grader, is not something I am looking forward to.

[Blue_Adept]

5. Just wait until psychohistory is compared to Cambridge Analytica

[brooklynite]

7. Nothing says it has to be an absolutely faithful adaptation of the original work...

[gratuitous]

8. I enjoyed the books, too

But Asimov was a very linear story-teller. He settled on one character or group of characters, and stayed on them the whole way through. From the excerpted article, it sounds like they're going to have a good creative team, and maybe stir up the story in a new way so that we're not just watching one or two characters doing the whole thing.

[exboyfil]

9. Older science fiction

Much had great concepts and some world building, but the character driven narrative is definitely lacking.

[Zorro]

3. I just reread the Foundation Trilogy last year

I highly recommend it to those who haven't encountered those books yet. Haven't bothered with the remaining books of the series, since I thought things were pretty much wrapped up by the end of Second Foundation.

[Mosby]

4. I would love to see someone

Tackle the robot series.

Also the End of Eternity.

[BootinUp]

6. Kewl!!

[Aristus]

10. I'm still waiting from adaptations of the Elric Saga,

and of the Fafhrd and Grey Mouser stories.

If there were two fantasy series more ripe for adaptation in the wake of Lord Of The Rings and Game Of Thrones, I don't know what they might be.

[Egnever]

11. Tickets will be 1k each

I hate that apple got rights to this.

Fuck apple!

[brooklynite]

12. Which non-profit video system would you like to produce this?

[Cyrano]

13. The Foundation series may not translate to TV

Isaac Asimov wrote over 500 books, both fiction and scientific. He was as prolific as he was brilliant. And he could explain the most abstract ideas. One of his factual books on physics helps almost everyone grasp the overall concept of Einstein's Theory of Relativity.

The Foundation trilogy was awarded the Hugo, (the sci-fi equivalent of the Academy Award), for the best science fiction story ever written. And before his death, he followed up the trilogy with a couple of sequels and one prequel.

The reason I believe that Asimov's writings may not translate well into TV is because of the nonviolence present in all of his books. One of his sayings was: "Violence is the last resort of the incompetent." And 99% of what he wrote stood by that. He wrote intriguing, absorbing stories with little or no physical violence, flesh-eating creatures, or death stars.

Sci-fi on TV, without violence, is virtually non-existent. The world of Isaac Asimov is about ideas. And I don't know how well thoughtfulness and abstract concepts will play in today's political/social environment.

[Mosby]

14. I think that is true with a lot of sci-fi

Too much third person narrative, too much ground to cover in a 2-3 hour movie, ideas too abstract to translate to film.

That's why they make sci-fi movies from short stories often, and adapt books that are more action oriented like some of Heinlein's works.

I think a much better series to do is the robot series, because the sub genre (detective sci-fi) could work in a movie or mini-series.