The new Apple TV + series FOUNDATION is based on a groundbreaking series of short stories written by Isaac Asimov in the 1940s that he then collected into a series of volumes that were then expanded upon by several other authors. For showrunner, writer and executive producer David S. Goyer who updated the historic work , the worlds created by Asimov in the novels are startlingly timeless. “A lot of the themes that Asimov was writing about are still as true today as they were when the first book was published over 70 years ago,” he says. “Asimov based ‘Foundation’ on Gibbons’ ‘Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,’ but the truth is, empires are falling all the time. Right now, at this moment, in the midst of a global pandemic, the world is going through these absolutely massive upheavals. If anything, I think ‘Foundation’ is even more relevant for today’s audiences.
No stranger to sci-fi adaptations Goyer is best known for his work on Batman Begins, and The Dark Knight Returns with Christopher Nolan. The director/writer/producer also co-created the Constantine TV series and is currently working on Sandman with Neil Gaiman for Netflix. What I will always remember Goyer for, however, is how he wrote the first Blade movie. Which technically started the MCU. (Yes it did. This is not up for debate.)
David S. Goyer wants to bring non-science fiction fans to FOUNDATION.
As I mentioned in my podcast interview with Alfred Enoch, what struck me the most about this screen adaptation, is the diversity both in casting and in the writers room. A conscious decision made by Goyer and his team. The other thing that grabs you when you watch the show is the production quality. Goyer somehow managed to go on location in six different locations with dix different directors during the pandemic last year when the world was literally on fire.
Goyer’s story centers around the Empire’s Cleons, a Genetic Dynasty (Lee Pace, Cassian Bilton and Terrance Mann) all cloned from the same man for several centuries. Hari Seldon,(Jared Harris) is the mathematician and prophet who, through the fictional science of psychohistory, has predicted the human races’ demise and wants to save it. His beliefs are, of course, considered heresy by the Empire. The future lies in his new protegé, Gaal Fornick ( Lou Llobel), his adopted son Raych Foss (Alfred Enoch) and a band of scientists already forging a new world on a planet in the outer rim led by Salvor Hardin (Leah Harvey). We discuss the production, the diversity of the show and the delicate balance of bringing new fans to this story, and pleasing long term Asimov purists of the series.
Are you watching Foundation? What do you think of the show so far!
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