Spoilers Foundation Adaptation Series on AppleTV+ (Discussion and Spoilers)

[Owain Taggart]

Man, Jared Harris is everywhere these days! But that's a good thing as he's a great actor! It took me awhile to realize he was Richard Harris's son. I think he's a great pick to play Hari Seldon.

 

[Marc]

At least one of the books is a prequel, about YOUNG Hari Seldon inventing psychohistory. Along the way, he becomes...

Spoiler

Prime Minister. Perhaps Cleon's prime Minister?

The would be Prelude to the Foundation.

 

[Owain Taggart]

For myself, when I read the Foundation books, I stick to the original trilogy and ignore the rest. I found all the later books to be lacking something, and I always preferred the short story / jumps ahead format more. I've always hated that Asimov couldn't really figure out a way forward as I don't know anyone that likes where the series ended up.

I actually liked the sequels, up until he tried connect it to the Robot series and it got all weird. But I understand that was what the publisher wanted and why it felt less inspired. One thing I really liked was the addition of consistent characters. But he definitely was not at the top of his game. The prequels IMHO were much better, and felt like he had regained confidence and perhaps because he had more fun fleshing out Seldon's backstory.

 

[Hound of UIster]

Right the Foundation sequels from his own account in some of the forewords were purely driven by monetary concerns on the part of his publishers. But you can see that in his introduction of Gaia, the technological advances of the Foundation, the post-human Solarians or even aliens, they are all along the same lines as the Mule in that they are exploits/flaws around psychohistory and the Seldon Plan. He really doesn't seem to have had any interest in following John Campbell's original idea of the Foundation as Gibbons's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire in Space.

 

[.:: TSN ::.]

We have more casting announcements: https://deadline.com/2019/12/founda...isaac-asimovs-sci-fi-classic-cast-1202800309/

Lou Llobell (Voyagers), Leah Harvey (Fighting with My Family, Les Misérables), Laura Birn (Helene, The Innocents), Terrence Mann (Sense8) and Cassian Bilton (A Devil’s Harmony) are set as series regulars in Foundation, Apple’s upcoming drama series starring Jared Harris and Lee Pace that’s based on Isaac Asimov’s science fiction novel trilogy.

The 10-episode series from David S. Goyer, Josh Friedman and Skydance Television chronicles the epic saga of The Foundation, a band of exiles who discover that the only way to save the Galactic Empire from destruction is to defy it.

Llobell will play Gaal, a mathematical genius from a repressed rural planet. Harvey will portray Salvor, the protective and intuitive warden of a remote outer planet. Birn will play Demerzel the enigmatic aide to the Emperor of the Galaxy (Pace). Mann will portray Brother Dusk, the eldest living member of the ruling family. Bilton will play Brother Dawn, the youngest living member of the ruling family and next in line to be Brother Day.

Interesting casting is Demerzel.
First of all the character is gender-swapped. As are some others.
But then there is also:

Spoiler: books

the fact that he is supposed to be alter-ego of the robot R. Daneel Olivaw. I wonder if they are going to drop that aspect of the character.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

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[JD]

I've never read the books, so coming in completely clueless about the story beyond the basics, that looks like it could be pretty good.

 

[Marc]

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Visually looks impressive, but other than the discussion with Hari Seldon on Phsychistory, I'm not seeing anything that jumps out of being from the books.

 

[Christopher]

Visually looks impressive, but other than the discussion with Hari Seldon on Phsychistory, I'm not seeing anything that jumps out of being from the books.

I don't think it is based on the books, but is telling a new story in a setting based on the books' universe. That's really the only way to make it work, not by trying to adapt the stories themselves but by building something new out of their concepts and worldbuilding. Much like how Marvel and DC movies don't faithfully adapt specific storylines from the comics, but mix and distill various characters, concepts, and plot threads into new stories.

 

[The Lensman]

I don't think it is based on the books, but is telling a new story in a setting based on the books' universe. That's really the only way to make it work, not by trying to adapt the stories themselves but by building something new out of their concepts and worldbuilding. Much like how Marvel and DC movies don't faithfully adapt specific storylines from the comics, but mix and distill various characters, concepts, and plot threads into new stories.

Except the two examples given are not even remotely comparable. One is a story by a single author, the others are fictional universes that have had uninterrupted publication for 80 years, with thousands of stories by who knows how many creators utilizing hundreds of characters with so many iterations and variations as to require a distillation of certain elements, some original, some that have been added over the decades, to make a good screen version.

At any rate, I hope it doesn't suck.

I actually own about three issues of Astounding Science Fiction containing first run Foundation stories. Two of those issues have stories that would end up collected in Second Foundation. "Now You Don't" IIRC. I managed to stumble across an even earlier story in a book store that, as luck would have it, contained my favorite Foundation story "Dead Hand" featuring Lathan Devers, Bel Riose and Ducem Barr. An additional bit of luck is that it was only 8.00 if I recall.

To celebrate this first trailer, here's some pics of original illustrations from "Dead Hand". It was a bit tricky taking the pics and holding the book, and as you can imagine I was super careful not to damage it. I left them in safe keeping at my dad's, so I can't update the pics right now. One thing that jumped out.....no Encyclopedia Galactica entries from what I remember.

The magazine in plastic cover

Title page with illustration of Lathan Devers blasting out of the hanger on Trantor.

Lathan Devers, Bel Riose and Ducem Barr

Bel Riose (holding Hober Mallows force field belt) and Ducem Barr

Lathan Devers and Ducem Barr escape by blasting guard (can't remember his name right now)

One of the neat things is that the characters and style were pretty much how I imagined them. Except the ships. I don't know that I ever really thought of their shapes aside from the occasional mention of the cigar shaped ship in the Imperial insignia.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the show even though I'm pretty sure it will be "Foundation in name only".

 

[Guy Gardener]

Christopher is huffing glue.

The beginning of the book is about a new student, arriving, and then getting drawn into Seldon's trial as the Foundation is born.

That is exactly what I saw in that trailer.

 

[RJDiogenes]

The trailer looks decent, although the odds of screwing up a Foundation adaptation are nearly a sure thing. I really hope it's a side story, parallel-quel in the Foundation Universe rather than a straight adaptation-- with the occasional cameo by Seldon or Daneel or Venabili or whoever.

 

[Skipper]

I'm trying to imagine how a faithful adaptation would be.

People who talk, and talk, and talk while explaining that single individuals are not important for psychohistory and the few space battle are narrated off-screen.

Yep, it wouldn't be very entertaining television.

ETA: I really loved the Foundation Cycle, but even as a kid I thought it was unfilmable.

 

[Cyrus]

Is the girl supposed to be Gaal Dornick?

 

[Christopher]

Is the girl supposed to be Gaal Dornick?

Apparently so. At least her character name is Gaal. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10306608/?ref_=tt_cl_t5

 

[Cyrus]

Female Demerzel is OK, but not female Daneel. But I expect Daneel won’t even be mentioned which is just as well.

 

[Skipper]

I read the books many, many, many years ago but I'm struggling to remember any relevant female character in the original trilogy who wasn't "the girlfriend of", "the wife of", "the daughter of"...

 

[The Lensman]

I read the books many, many, many years ago but I'm struggling to remember any relevant female character in the original trilogy who wasn't "the girlfriend of", "the wife of", "the daughter of"...

studies show a 100% of females are someone’s daughter. Also, welcome to writing from the 1940’s and 50’s. What were you expecting?

 

[Christopher]

Female Demerzel is OK, but not female Daneel.

Don't see why not. "Daneel" could be as easily taken as a variant on "Danielle" as "Daniel."

Anyway, presumably a humanoid robot could alter their outward appearance to present as either male or female. They'd have to change identities periodically anyway as they aged out of them, so changing appearance would make sense.

Of course, it could be that they're just using character names from the books and interpreting them in new ways, so the show's Demerzel won't necessarily have any connection to Daneel Olivaw.

 

[Skipper]

studies show a 100% of females are someone’s daughter. Also, welcome to writing from the 1940’s and 50’s. What were you expecting?

Absolutely nothing . Probably 50% of the original book male characters will have their gender reversed for the tv show (or they will be "non-binary" or similar).