Apple debuted the first look at its upcoming adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s celebrated sci-fi saga Foundation during its WWDC 2020 event on June 22.
Expected to premiere in 2021, the series is based on Asimov’s seminal series of novels that chronicled the fall of the wide-reaching Galactic Empire and how psychohistory — a branch of mathematics that predicts the future — shapes several generations’ efforts to rebuild human civilization. The cast of Foundation is led by acclaimed actor Jared Harris in the role of Hari Seldon, the creator of the branch of mathematics known as psychohistory.
Along with Harris in one of the saga’s most important roles, the series’ cast also includes 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 Brother Dawn.
Foundation was snatched up by Apple in April 2018 as one of several high-profile projects the company collected ahead of the launch of Apple TV+. The project was given a straight-to-series order by producers Skydance Television, with David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight, Batman Begins) and Josh Friedman (Avatar 2, War of the Worlds) attached as showrunners and executive producers alongside Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Marcy Ross.
Asimov’s story is regarded as one of the touchstone projects in the sci-fi genre, inspiring many of Hollywood’s most famous films, including the Star Wars saga. The first three novels in the series — collectively known as the Foundation trilogy, although Asimov penned sequels many years later — covered thousands of years of history leading up to, during, and following the fall of the Galactic Empire. The series explored the nature of predetermination and the conflict between science and religion, among other themes.
Apple has not revealed the exact premiere date for Foundation on Apple TV+.
