Apple's Biggest Sci-Fi Epic Is Losing Its Showrunner After Season 3
Even Hari Seldon couldn't haven predicted this.
I the sprawling future depicted by Foundation, everyone has pretty much forgotten about the planet Earth. But over several generations can remember the predictions of one man: Hari Seldon. Played by Jared Harris in the first two seasons of Foundation, the character of Seldon is able to see the twists and turns of the future history of the human Empire through a process called psychohistory. But even the study of psychohistory couldn’t have predicted what’s happening to Foundation after its upcoming third season. Because now, the show’s real-life Hari Seldon — creator David S. Goyer — is leaving the show, along with the existing writing staff.
In short, after the next season of Foundation, the literal foundation for the show’s future is very unclear.
Foundatoin stars Lee Pace and Laura Birn with David S. Goyer.
As revealed in a newsletter from Goyer’s official site, and reproduced in its entirety on the Foundation subreddit, the writer and producer is leaving taking a massive step back from the show. Here’s what he said:
I know a lot of you have been waiting for an update. Season 3 will likely be dropping this summer, premiere date TBD. We finally get to the Mule’s story. Expect a few surprises along the way – even for those of you who’ve read the original trilogy.
To set the record straight, I did decide to step back from the show. S3 will be the last season with my day-to-day involvement, along with most of my fellow directors and writers. I adore the cast and it was a difficult decision. The reasons for my leaving are complicated and were certainly exacerbated by strike-related issues. The biggest reason is that I was forced to spend a ton of time in Europe, away from my family – and after 5 ½ years, it was becoming a drag on my soul. That said, I do believe Apple will green-light S4. Best of luck to the next creative team.
In referencing the Mule, Goyer is talking about a telepathic, mutant villain who was first introduced in the various Isaac Asimov stories that became the novel Second Foundation. Although that title might make you think that’s the second book in the “trilogy” of novels, it’s actually the third book. The second book, Foundation and Empire, was what Season 2 of the series was loosely based on. Overall, Goyer’s approach to Asimov’s Foundation novels (of which there are seven) has been to take various elements from a few of the books at the same time. In 2021, Goyer described this approach as a mind of mashup of various ideas at once.
“To a certain extent, we're dealing with the trilogy, the prequels, and the sequels,” Goyer told Inverse during Season 1 in 2021. “But I've remixed them. Some of the elements from the sequels will be showing up in Season 1, and some of the elements from the prequels will be showing up in Season 2.”
Laura Birn as the robot Demerzel in 'Foundation.'
Based on his comments, it sounds like Season 3 will take the same approach, though the presence of the Mule’s story means that it’s very possible the next season will very much stick to the third book. That said, the robot known as Demerzel (Laura Birn) is very central to the story of the show, and she’s based on a character well outside of the “trilogy.”
Further, Foundation’s basic narrative is very different from the Asimov novels already, which actually improves some of the novels in various ways. The female characters in the show are much stronger than in the books, while the backstory of Hari Seldon in Foundation Season 2 borrows just enough from the prequel book, Prelude to Foundation, while also being its own thing.
This is all to say there’s plenty of material for Foundation to continue beyond Season 3, and into Season 4 and beyond. But, with each season jumping ahead by at least a century each time, one wonders how long the series can keep pushing things forward. But with the departure of Goyer, one thing’s for sure: Whatever comes after Season 3 will be very different.
