Good Idea or Bad? Looking at various sci fi and fantasy television projects currently in the works and pondering whether it will fly or crash.
What It It? Isaac Asimov’s Foundation books are part of a classic science fiction series that originally consisted of three books and was later expanded to a total of eight. It takes place in a future time when a Galactic Empire established by humans is in a state of decline. Mathematician Hari Seldon comes up with the theory of Psychohistory that can predict the future of large populations. He foresees the end of the current Empire which will be followed thirty thousand years later by the creation of a Second Empire. Seldon establishes two Foundations that will preserve civilization and science during the coming “Dark Ages” and will help with the creation of the new Empire.
What Is in the Works? After years in development Hell and after bouncing from the big screen to the small screen, an adaptation of the Foundation seres is currently in production. Apple TV+ has placed a ten-episode direct-to-series order that will begin with the story from the first book and carry on from there. Production has slowed due to Coronavirus-related shutdowns, but things should start rolling again once the Entertainment industry returns to work.
Good Idea or Bad? This could be a good idea, but it could also go very bad. As classic as Asimov’s Foundation series is, the first three books can be a dry read and they tend to be overly intellectual and somewhat dated (originally written back in the early 1950’s). The story also takes place across an extended timeframe which might not translate well for a television audience. These hurdles might not be that much of a leap for sci fi fans, though, and the television production can take the necessary liberties to update the source material to feel less dated (the excellent and underrated Childhood’s End mini-series did a good job with that). But can such a spanning epic draw the attention of a larger audience?
Almost certainly, the plan is to carry on the show for multiple season, maybe adapting a book per year. But this will be an expensive production, with Apple TV execs expecting it to draw in plenty of new subscribers. The Foundation books are also not well known beyond the sci fi community, so the name recognition is not too good for the average viewer. If done correctly with sufficient respect for the source material, this could be a truly excellent series. And the streaming services have been more patient with their original programming, allowing shows to typically go for at least three seasons (which might be just enough to adapt all three books in the trilogy). But if the creative team strays too far from the original story, the sci fi fans may tune out. On the other hand, if they produce a series that it too talky and intellectual for the average viewer, it may only attract a niche audience. So this one needs to find that fine lest we could be left with a truncated and unsatisfying series. I like the idea of adapting the Foundation Trilogy to television, but the execution will be key to whether it is a success.
Notable Facts: The Foundation Trilogy was adapted from eight short stories written by Asimov and originally published in Astounding Magazine. The first three books were published in 1951, 1952, and 1953 respectively. Asimov was later convinced to add to the tale and he wrote two continuations from the original series—Foundation’s Edge (1982) and Foundation and Earth (1986)—along with two prequels—Prelude to Foundation (1988) and Forward the Foundation (1993). Plans for a film adaptation began as early as 1998 when New Line Cinema acquired the property, but when the project fell through they turned their attention to the Lord of the Rings books. Warner Bros later took a stab at the series as did Columbia Pictures, but in 2014 HBO announced plans for a television series with Jonathan Nolan (Person of Interest, Westworld) attached. When that did not materialize, Apple picked up the property with Josh Friedman (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Emerald City) and David Goyer (Batman Begins, Constantine) onboard. Friedman has since departed the project, but it is going forward with Goyer still involved.
Do you think that a Foundation TV series would be a good idea or bad? Chime in with your thoughts in the comments.
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The problem is a great book doesn’t necessarily mean great TV show and vice versa. Foundation is that over the course of a millennia, With the characters changing accordingly. Cinematically, It will be more difficult for the fans to get emotionally invested in the characters as they change as the story progresses. As you mentioned another comparable story is childhoods ends by Arthur C Clark and how they bridge this was having one character span the entirety of the story which didn’t occur in the book. To be honest I didn’t like the miniseries but I’m glad it was for made