The Foundation TV series on Apple TV Plus: everything we know
Isaac Asimov’s classic sci-fi novels get the premium streaming treatment with a new Foundation TV series on Apple TV Plus.
Although having a strong influence on everything, from Dune at Star Wars at The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy at Futurama, it is the first time that the Foundation is screened.
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After years of trying to get Foundation films or shows off the ground, Apple seems to have finally succeeded. The Foundation may have been pushed back following COVID-related delays, but it’s back on track and set to launch next month.
So read on for everything we know about the Foundation TV series coming to Apple TV Plus. And if you don’t already have Apple TV Plus, you can sign up by tapping the button below.
Apple TV Plus
Apple TV Plus might not have as much content as other streaming services, but it makes up for that with the quality of its content. This includes shows like For All Mankind and Ted Lasso, movies like The Banker, Greyhound and Palmer.
What is the Foundation television series about?
In the Foundation television series, a group of exiles work to save humanity from a failing empire.
Dr Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) predicts the fall of the Galactic Empire in the distant future. This puts Seldon at odds with the ruling Cleons who wish to stop him and his followers before they lose their multi-generational reign.
Read: The best sci-fi movies on Netflix
But the Cleons know that if they simply kill Seldon, that act can strengthen his supporters, who are already growing in number.
As civilization crumbles, the Seldon Foundation offers hope to future generations, using the mathematician’s statistical laws to understand human history.
When and where can I watch it?
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
Foundation premieres September 24, exclusively on Apple TV Plus.
The first three episodes will launch concurrently on September 24, in line with several other Apple original series.
After that, the series will air every week.
Apple has yet to announce plans for other seasons.
Who is involved?
Foundation has a pretty impressive main cast which includes Jared Harris, Lee Pace, Lou Llobell, Leah Harvey, Laura Birn, Terrence Mann, and Cassian Bilton.
The overall cast, however, is massive. Below is a list of actors who we know will appear, along with the characters they will play:
- Cassian Bilton as Brother Dawn
- Daniel MacPherson as Hugo
- Jared Harris as Hari Seldon
- Kubbra Knows Like Phara
- Laura Birn as Eto Demerzel
- Leah Harvey as Salvor Hardin
- Lee Pace as Brother Day
- Lou Llobell as Gaal Dornick
- Pravessh Rana as Rowan
- T’Nia Miller as Halima
- Terrence Mann as Brother Dusk
- Clarke Peters (role unknown)
- Nikhil Parmar as Freestone
- Amy Tyger as Azura
- Buddy Skelton as Keir
- Mido Hamada as Master Shadow Obrecht
- Alicia Gerrard as Yate
- Isaiah Joshua Chambers as Mystery Boy
- Johanna O’Brien as Shivaughn
- Nikol Kollars as Jacenta
- Brian F. Mulvey as Travik
- Darragh O’Toole as Romus
- Geoffrey Cantor as Thanwall Ambassador
- Jade Harrison as Bayla
- Julia Farino as Zéphyr Gilat
- Cooper Carter as Young Dawn
- Kim Adis as Lowre
- Mark Lavery as Kalin
- Muiris Crowley as Tacud
- Abdul Alshareef as a communication technician
- Ahd Tamimi as Magnus
- Alfred Enoch (role unknown)
Behind the camera, David S. Goyer acts as showrunner. Goyer, who wrote the first two episodes of Foundation with Josh Friedman, is best known for his writing work on the films Blade, Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, and Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel.
Directors of the Foundation include Rupert Sanders, Alex Graves, Jennifer Phang and Roxann Dawson,
Has the Foundation TV series been affected by COVID-19?
As with many series and films, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has halted production and delayed the release of Foundation.
Filming was already underway in Ireland in March 2020 when COVID restrictions were introduced. Apple suspended production of what was, at the time, the largest production ever produced in Ireland.
Foundation had to suspend production, as well as other Apple series.
Other Apple TV Plus series affected by the production shutdown include See, Servant, For All Mankind, Lisey’s Story, and Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet.
A science fiction classic
The original Foundation is an iconic and influential science fiction work by American author Isaac Asimov.
First appearing as a short story series in the 1940s and 1950s, the works were brought together as a trilogy of novels in the 1950s – Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation. Asimov won a Hugo Award for Foundation, named best series of all time in 1966.
The author returned to the series later. He wrote sequels and prequels to the original trilogy in the ’80s.
Foundation has its imprints throughout the history of science fiction and fantasy.
Later work linked the Foundation to that of Asimov Robot and Empire series do Foundation part of a vast fictional universe.
Attempts have been made to adapt Foundation in the past, but the Foundation television series on Apple TV Plus is the first to come to fruition. New Line Cinema, Sony, and HBO held full rights to the property at various times from the 1990s.
Roland Emmerich was attached to directing at one point, and Jonathan Nolan was hired by HBO for a previous attempt at a series.
What to expect from the Foundation TV series
With so many stories to draw inspiration from, Apple might choose to take the Foundation TV series in several directions. So far, synopses and trailers suggest that the series is sticking mostly to the main storyline of the original stories collected in the Foundation trilogy.
The series likely won’t cover the events of all three novels in its 10-episode first season, unless it cuts out a large portion of the story.
It would be reasonable to assume that the first season covers the first book and that future seasons will cover later stories. (Assuming Foundation is a big enough success to warrant more.)
Aesthetically, we can already tell from the trailers that this is a magnificent spectacle, with stunning visuals, beautiful costumes and make-up, and breathtaking locations.
We will only have to hope that it is as good as it looks.
That’s all we know about the Foundation TV series coming to Apple TV Plus in September.