Hello, fellow nerds! If you’re anything like me, you think of only a handful of names when you think of Sci-Fi, and invariably the first of those is Asimov. Isaac Asimov didn’t create Science Fiction, but he certainly shaped and shepherded it. How often do we quote Asimov’s Law of Robotics when discussing cutting-edge technological breakthroughs in Artificial Intelligence? And how many issues of Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine have we pored through hoping to find the next deafening voice in the genre?
So it’s pretty exciting to hear that his groundbreaking FOUNDATION trilogy has been ordered as a 10-episode series by Apple Entertainment, with none other than Skydance Television, David S Goyer, and Josh Friedman attached as producers and showrunners. Asimov’s Foundation has inspired the creators of countless science fiction works in all mediums, such as Star Wars, Futurama, and Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe. Asimov’s FOUNDATION is essentially the foundation of all of your existing fantasies. So, yes, this is a big deal.
Heralded as the greatest Science Fiction story of All-Time, it’s no surprise that this property has been a hotly-contested piece of development ass for quite some time, but prior adaptations have simply fallen short in the shadow of the work’s enormity. That’s why I’m so excited to hear of Goyer’s involvement. Is his work history, shall we say, checkered at best? Of course. This is the guy who brought us Nicolas Cage’s GHOST RIDER (both of them, because for some fucking reason they made two) and the third BLADE film, so I understand the impetus to pick up your pitchforks.
But remember this is also the guy who wrote the first two BLADE films, worked with Nolan on THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY, and wrote DARK CITY. I still believe in this guy, and if that weren’t enough, Asimov’s daughter Robyn Asimov is an executive-producing partner. Add to this Apple Entertainment’s appetite for a bite of the television market (their logo isn’t merely catchy brand design; it’s a letter of intent) and I don’t think they’d allow it to be a bomb.
This is Apple’s second series order, but it remains to be seen what the network or platform the finished product will be seen on. Regardless, it’ll be a delight to see Asimov’s epic saga of exiled humans uniting the galaxy some eight decades after its original appearance.
Any insights out there from my fellow nerds? Is this the best news in Science Fiction revival or is there still a seminal property we’ve left lying on the dusty old bookshelf? Let us know what you think and until next time, I’ll see you at the movies!
-McEric-
