Apple TV+‘s ‘Foundation’ series, based on the works of Isaac Asimov, has lost one of its showrunners. The Wrap reports that Josh Friedman has stepped down from the day-to-day responsibility of running the series, but will remain attached as executive producer. That leaves his co-writer David S. Goyer as the sole showrunner. The project originates at Skydance Television.
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Friedman previously developed the series ‘Snowpiercer’ for TNT before departing over creative differences. He later attacked his replacement Graeme Manson with a series of angry tweets. Friedman has since gone on to pen the screenplay for the first of James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ sequels.
Asimov’s ‘Foundation’ is a complex and sprawling epic that many have attempted to adapt either to film or television in the past, but none have succeeded. Originally published as a series of short stories, it was later collected in book form and remained as a dense trilogy of novels until 1981, when Asimov began writing additional sequels and prequels.
From Wikipedia:
The premise of the series is that the mathematician Hari Seldon spent his life developing a branch of mathematics known as psychohistory, a concept of mathematical sociology. Using the laws of mass action, it can predict the future, but only on a large scale. Seldon foresees the imminent fall of the Galactic Empire, which encompasses the entire Milky Way, and a dark age lasting 30,000 years before a second great empire arises. Seldon’s calculations also show there is a way to limit this interregnum to just one thousand years. To ensure the more favorable outcome and reduce human misery during the intervening period, Seldon creates the Foundation – a group of talented artisans and engineers positioned at the twinned extreme ends of the galaxy – to preserve and expand on humanity’s collective knowledge, and thus become the foundation for the accelerated resurgence of this new galactic empire.
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And that’s the BASIC summary. Attempting to turn this into a TV series is daunting, but if it’s any consolation, Asimov’s daughter Robyn serves as an executive producer.
A trial version of Apple TV+ is available now, but no original programming is being offered. Instead, from this one hub, users can access Amazon Prime, Hulu, Starz, HBO, Showtime, CBS All Access, BBC America, Epix, live sports, blockbuster movies and more.
Are you looking forward to seeing Asimov’s epic ‘Foundation’ brought to television?
