Foundation (Apple TV +) -- S: Jared Harris -- Based on the books by Isaac Asimov -- Premieres 9/24/21
11-10-14, 07:32 PM
#1
DVD Talk Legend
Thread Starter
Foundation (Apple TV +) -- S: Jared Harris -- Based on the books by Isaac Asimov -- Premieres 9/24/21
Ok so this isn't Mass Effect on HBO, but this could be amazing:
http://badassdigest.com/2014/11/10/j...ation-for-hbo/
http://badassdigest.com/2014/11/10/j...ation-for-hbo/
It was only a matter of time before someone actually made Foundation. We've come close a couple of times, with movie versions being threatened. I've always been worried about this, as Isaac Asimov's novels - especially the core trilogy - do not lend themselves to movies. They take place over the course of thousands of years, telling the slow story of humanity's future after the Galactic Empire falls into barbarism. It's possibly Asimov's masterwork, and it's one of my all-time favorite stories. And it would only work as a TV show.
That might be happening, as Jonathan Nolan - who wrote Interstellar, in theaters now - is developing a series based on it for HBO. The climate seems absolutely right, as we live in a time where smarter scifi travels to wider audiences and where season-long anthology shows have found acceptance. The nature of Foundation means that whoever stars in the first season would be gone by the second (except for whoever plays Hari Seldon, the man who founds the Foundation, and who keeps popping up in recorded messages). As a TV show Foundation could be a close-ended epic on par with Game of Thrones but with the sweep of centuries.
That might be happening, as Jonathan Nolan - who wrote Interstellar, in theaters now - is developing a series based on it for HBO. The climate seems absolutely right, as we live in a time where smarter scifi travels to wider audiences and where season-long anthology shows have found acceptance. The nature of Foundation means that whoever stars in the first season would be gone by the second (except for whoever plays Hari Seldon, the man who founds the Foundation, and who keeps popping up in recorded messages). As a TV show Foundation could be a close-ended epic on par with Game of Thrones but with the sweep of centuries.
11-10-14, 10:20 PM
#2
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Jonathan Nolan bringing Asimov's Foundation to HBO
If anyone could do it, it's Jonathan Nolan. I've been mightily impressed with how they transformed Person of Interest into very intelligent themes on AI.
11-11-14, 08:27 AM
#4
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Jonathan Nolan bringing Asimov's Foundation to HBO
MUCH better as a show, especially on HBO, than as a movie they've been trying to develop for decades 
Remember when Roland Emmerich was attached to the property? Ecch.
NOW: gimme my Robots series.
Remember when Roland Emmerich was attached to the property? Ecch.
NOW: gimme my Robots series.
11-11-14, 11:11 AM
#9
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Jonathan Nolan bringing Asimov's Foundation to HBO
I remember at least one sex scene in one of the later books, either Edge or Earth.
Really curious how they're going to do this. The original Foundation Trilogy was a series of short stories and novellas that covered three centuries. There were few characters that carried over from one story to the next. The two sequel novels from the 80s went up to five hundred years and introduced the Gaia and Galaxia stuff and ended at the midpoint of the thousand year saga. And then Asimov died.
Really curious how they're going to do this. The original Foundation Trilogy was a series of short stories and novellas that covered three centuries. There were few characters that carried over from one story to the next. The two sequel novels from the 80s went up to five hundred years and introduced the Gaia and Galaxia stuff and ended at the midpoint of the thousand year saga. And then Asimov died.
11-11-14, 11:17 AM
#10
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Jonathan Nolan bringing Asimov's Foundation to HBO
It will be interesting to see if they are talking about the original trilogy or the entire series. Either way, I'm glad it's not going to be adapted into a movie, or even three movies. A TV series that lasts 3-5 years sounds much better.
11-11-14, 11:17 AM
#11
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Jonathan Nolan bringing Asimov's Foundation to HBO
Remember how the good Doctor wrote alien sex scenes in "The Gods Themselves"? Or the timeless art of seduction in "Foundation and Earth"?
It was like your Grandpa providing audio commentary for Granny Tranny porn...
It was like your Grandpa providing audio commentary for Granny Tranny porn...
11-11-14, 12:36 PM
#13
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Jonathan Nolan bringing Asimov's Foundation to HBO
There was once a girl named Souvlaki
Whose breast implants felt much too rocky
duh duh-duh duh DAH
duh duh-duh duh DAH
duh duh-duh duh duh-duh bukakke!
Whose breast implants felt much too rocky
duh duh-duh duh DAH
duh duh-duh duh DAH
duh duh-duh duh duh-duh bukakke!
11-11-14, 01:02 PM
#14
DVD Talk Legend
Thread Starter
Re: Jonathan Nolan bringing Asimov's Foundation to HBO
I remember at least one sex scene in one of the later books, either Edge or Earth.
Really curious how they're going to do this. The original Foundation Trilogy was a series of short stories and novellas that covered three centuries. There were few characters that carried over from one story to the next. The two sequel novels from the 80s went up to five hundred years and introduced the Gaia and Galaxia stuff and ended at the midpoint of the thousand year saga. And then Asimov died.
Really curious how they're going to do this. The original Foundation Trilogy was a series of short stories and novellas that covered three centuries. There were few characters that carried over from one story to the next. The two sequel novels from the 80s went up to five hundred years and introduced the Gaia and Galaxia stuff and ended at the midpoint of the thousand year saga. And then Asimov died.
11-11-14, 03:57 PM
#15
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Jonathan Nolan bringing Asimov's Foundation to HBO
11-11-14, 05:37 PM
#16
Banned
Re: Jonathan Nolan bringing Asimov's Foundation to HBO
I need to go back & reread the trilogy. It and Dune (the original tome) are favorites.
Besides, it'll probably take reading the entire thing to get Hoke's limerick out of my head.
Besides, it'll probably take reading the entire thing to get Hoke's limerick out of my head.
11-11-14, 08:32 PM
#17
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Jonathan Nolan bringing Asimov's Foundation to HBO
^Sorry. If it makes you feel any better, I left out the one about R. Daneel Olivaw and a sump pump.
Dune... talk about "there can be only one". The original is probably my favorite novel of all time (after Tom Sawyer) but those sequels made me suicidal at age 13.
Dune... talk about "there can be only one". The original is probably my favorite novel of all time (after Tom Sawyer) but those sequels made me suicidal at age 13.
06-22-20, 05:38 PM
#18
DVD Talk God
Foundation (Apple TV +) -- S: Jared Harris -- Based on the books by Isaac Asimov -- Coming in 2021
The future begins in 2021. Based on the award-winning novels by Isaac Asimov, Foundation chronicles a band of exiles on their monumental journey to save humanity and rebuild civilization amid the fall of the Galactic Empire: https://apple.co/_Foundation Foundation stars SAG Award-winner and Emmy-nominee Jared Harris as Hari Seldon; Lee Pace as Brother Day; Lou Llobell as Gaal; Leah Harvey as Salvor; Laura Birn as Demerzel; Terrence Mann as Brother Dusk; and Cassian Bilton as play Brother Dawn. Foundation is executive produced by Robyn Asimov, David S. Goyer, Josh Friedman, Cameron Welsh, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Marcy Ross. The series is produced for Apple by Skydance Television.
06-23-20, 10:28 PM
#19
DVD Talk Legend
re: Foundation (Apple TV +) -- S: Jared Harris -- Based on the books by Isaac Asimov -- Premieres 9/24/21
I read the original three books many years ago and I don’t remember them being particularly good stories for tv. So maybe if they have room to innovate against the backdrop of the stories, it could be interesting.
06-23-20, 10:58 PM
#20
DVD Talk Hero
re: Foundation (Apple TV +) -- S: Jared Harris -- Based on the books by Isaac Asimov -- Premieres 9/24/21
Looks great and obviously money is no object. I also liked that they're using tons of practical effects, including miniatures. Looks like I will have to read the books. By the time this airs, I should have caught up. I believe there's a total of 7 books in the Foundation-verse.
06-23-20, 11:05 PM
#21
DVD Talk Legend
re: Foundation (Apple TV +) -- S: Jared Harris -- Based on the books by Isaac Asimov -- Premieres 9/24/21
This will get me to subscribe to Apple TV+ for the entire time it takes me to watch Foundation. I've been waiting 35 years for this, since I first read the original Trilogy when I was 14.
The following users liked this post:
wendersfan (06-26-20)
06-24-20, 03:09 AM
#22
DVD Talk Hero
re: Foundation (Apple TV +) -- S: Jared Harris -- Based on the books by Isaac Asimov -- Premieres 9/24/21
Looks really, really good.
It will be interesting to see how they handle this. It's not really a movie-ready story. The saga covers one thousand years, though Asimov sort of stopped it around the five hundred year mark with his fifth Foundation novel. And even then, it started to get kind of weird an new-agey.
I wonder if they'll add on to the story beyond that point if the series lasts long enough.
It will be interesting to see how they handle this. It's not really a movie-ready story. The saga covers one thousand years, though Asimov sort of stopped it around the five hundred year mark with his fifth Foundation novel. And even then, it started to get kind of weird an new-agey.
I wonder if they'll add on to the story beyond that point if the series lasts long enough.
06-24-20, 05:20 AM
#23
DVD Talk Legend
re: Foundation (Apple TV +) -- S: Jared Harris -- Based on the books by Isaac Asimov -- Premieres 9/24/21
I've tried to start the first book of the original trilogy a couple of times, the story just doesn't grab me like most stories do and compel me to read further. I guess I'm just going to have to soldier on and keep reading. This is supposed to be top tier science fiction.
I won't subscribe to any services to see this but I'll probably buy it if it comes out on physical media.
I won't subscribe to any services to see this but I'll probably buy it if it comes out on physical media.
06-28-20, 12:31 AM
#24
DVD Talk Special Edition
re: Foundation (Apple TV +) -- S: Jared Harris -- Based on the books by Isaac Asimov -- Premieres 9/24/21
I've tried to start the first book of the original trilogy a couple of times, the story just doesn't grab me like most stories do and compel me to read further. I guess I'm just going to have to soldier on and keep reading. This is supposed to be top tier science fiction.
I won't subscribe to any services to see this but I'll probably buy it if it comes out on physical media.
I won't subscribe to any services to see this but I'll probably buy it if it comes out on physical media.
What Apple needs to do is to hire some really good writers to put together a multi season treatment that puts together elements of the Robot stories and novels, the space series, and the galactic empire/foundation series. If I recall, they're all supposed to tie in to each other. At least Asimov tried to do that with his later novels.
I would have been excited about this 20 years ago. I'll have to hear more about it as it could be really good or it could be unwatchable.
06-28-20, 10:10 AM
#25
DVD Talk Hero
re: Foundation (Apple TV +) -- S: Jared Harris -- Based on the books by Isaac Asimov -- Premieres 9/24/21
I've tried to start the first book of the original trilogy a couple of times, the story just doesn't grab me like most stories do and compel me to read further. I guess I'm just going to have to soldier on and keep reading. This is supposed to be top tier science fiction.
I won't subscribe to any services to see this but I'll probably buy it if it comes out on physical media.
I won't subscribe to any services to see this but I'll probably buy it if it comes out on physical media.
Good luck with that. This is Apple and they don't release their material on physical media.