Posted in: Apple, streaming, TV | Tagged: apple, apple tv, books, cable, coronavirus, foundation, ireland, isaac asimov, jared harris, lee pace, novels, sci-fi, Skydance, skydance television, streaming, television, tv

"Foundation": Apple TV+, Skydance Television Shutter Ireland Production Over Coronavirus Concerns

Ireland's largest-scale production ever is feeling the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, with Apple TV+ and Skydance Television shutting down production on their series adaptation of Isaac Asimov's sci-fi novel trilogy "Foundation". The Jared Harris/Lee Pace-starrer was in the middle of filming when the Irish government announced new, restrictive measures that included canceling indoor gatherings of 100+ people or more and outdoor gatherings of 500+ people.

"Skydance, along with Apple, have made the decision to temporarily suspend filming on 'Foundation'. The health and safety of our cast and crew is our top priority and we are closely monitoring the situation."

– Skydance Television (statement)

Apple TV+ and Skydance Television's Foundation series stars Lee Pace (Halt and Catch Fire), Jared Harris (Chernobyl), 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)

Feature film helmer Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman) is attached to direct pilot, which highlights The Foundation: exiles who realize that the only way to save the Galactic Empire from destruction is to defy it.

Here's a rundown of the cast:

● Harris' Hari Seldon is a mathematical genius who predicts the demise of the empire.

● Pace's Brother Day is the current Emperor of the Galaxy.

● Llobell's Gaal is a mathematical genius from a rural, repressed planet.

● Harvey's Salvor is the protective and intuitive warden of a remote outer planet.

● Birn's Demerzel is the enigmatic aide to the Emperor of the Galaxy (Pace).

● Mann's Brother Dusk is the eldest living member of the ruling family.

● Bilton's Brother Dawn is the youngest living member of the ruling family, next in line to be Brother Day.

David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight) and Josh Friedman (Avatar 2) developed the project, with Goyer serving as showrunner. Goyer also executive produces alongside Friedman, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Marcy Ross, and Robyn Asimov.

Originally published as a short story series in Astounding Magazine in 1942, here's an overview of Asimov's initial Foundation trilogy (Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation):

For twelve thousand years the Galactic Empire has ruled supreme. Now it is dying. But only Hari Seldon, creator of the revolutionary science of psychohistory, can see into the future — to a dark age of ignorance, barbarism, and warfare that will last thirty thousand years. To preserve knowledge and save mankind, Seldon gathers the best minds in the Empire — both scientists and scholars — and brings them to a bleak planet at the edge of the Galaxy to serve as a beacon of hope for a future generations. He calls his sanctuary the Foundation.

But soon the fledgling Foundation finds itself at the mercy of corrupt warlords rising in the wake of the receding Empire. Mankind's last best hope is faced with an agonizing choice: submit to the barbarians and be overrun — or fight them and be destroyed.

Deadline Hollywood (exclusive)

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