Worrisome Update Surfaces on ‘Foundation’ Season 3

The galactic empire is faltering – and not according to Hari Seldon’s plan. Production on Foundation Season 3 has been delayed, according to a report by Deadline, due to issues with the budget as well as some logistical problems. The Apple TV+ sci-fi drama has already been heavily impacted by the Hollywood labor strikes, so there’s no guessing when it might be finished.

Foundation is an adaptation of a classic novel series by Isaac Asimov, with plenty of original material added to flesh out the story that was first published in 1942. The show reportedly filmed for several weeks in the spring of 2023, completing about one third of the shots needed for new season. The WGA writers’ strike and the SAG-AFTRA actors’ strike both interrupted the production, which was taking place in Prague and Poland. They were finally scheduled to return to work this month, but insiders said that they were abruptly told to delay and head home for now.

Some cast and crew members had already begun to gather and set up for the shoot when they got word to shut it down. They were told to return home while problems with “budgeting and physical production” were worked out. There are no further details on what the issues were, nor which cast members were already on the set. The show has some A-list actors, so it’s not a stretch to speculate that scheduling was one of the problems this show ran into.

Foundation stars Jared Harris as Hariton “Hari” Seldon, a genius who developed a form of mathematics called “psychohistory” that can predict the development of human civilization with remarkable accuracy. He saw the fall of the galactic empire coming and prepared an organization called “The Foundation” to preserve as much knowledge and civilization as possible, even creating an artificial copy of himself to shepherd this group along. Meanwhile, Lee Pace plays Emperor Cleon, the leader of the galactic empire who has been cloning himself for generations to rule continuously, causing the empire to stagnate and falter.

The show also stars Lou Llobell as Gaal Dornick, Leah Harvey as Salvor Hardin, Laura Birn as Eto Demerzel, Terrence Mann as Brother Dusk and Cassian Bilton as Brother Dawn. So far, Alexander Siddig is the only new main cast member announced for Season 3. he plays Dr. Ebling Mis, a self-taught psychohistorian trying to follow Seldon’s example. However, because Foundation takes place across centuries, there’s no telling which characters will find ways to survive across time and make it into future seasons.

Asimov’s series started as eight short stories which were reconfigured into three novels, published in 1951, 1952 and 1953. Asimov later returned to the series for a few sequels. He published four more books, tying the Foundation timeline to his other works in the process. There’s no telling how long the TV series will continue, but the story has already laid the groundwork to adapt all seven books, if possible.

For now, Apple has only ordered Season 3 of Foundation, with no sequel guaranteed. Season 3 is expected to resume filming soon depending on the issues described above. There is no tentative release date for the season yet. In the meantime, the first two seasons are available on Apple TV+, and Asimov’s books are available in print, digital and audiobook formats.