Apple's Foundation Has An 8 Season Plan

Five decades after Hollywood first set its sights on adapting Isaac Asimov's classic science fiction novel series "Foundation" for the screen, it's about to debut as an AppleTV+ streaming series. David S. Goyer ("Batman Begins") is the man who finally figured out a way to tell this story, which was famously dense on the page. (The "Foundation" novels make the often-brainy "Star Trek" feel like the more action-oriented "Star Wars" franchise.) There's so much story crammed into Asimov's novels that there's no way to squeeze it all into a single season of TV, and in a recent interview with /Film, Goyer explains that he came up with a plan for the show to last eight seasons.

We've had the chance to see the first few episodes of "Foundation" season 1, and /Film's Jacob Hall noticed dialogue which confirms several other Asimov stories happened in this universe. (Remember "I, Robot"? That's one of 'em.) In a recent interview with Goyer, the showrunner acknowledged there are easter eggs present in "Foundation" for those who care to search for them, but he shifted the conversation to make sure audiences know there is an overarching plan in place for this show:

"When I presented the plan for season one, Apple knew that it was a big undertaking, and they wanted at least some inkling that I had a direction of where I was going in future seasons. So I did present a loose plan for eight seasons. And there are definitely story moments and threads that are set up in season one that will not pay off in this season. But at least we know what we're writing towards. We're not just starting from scratch. There is a roadmap."

Elsewhere in their conversation, Goyer went even further in trying to set reasonable expectations for this show. If you're the type of viewer who likes every single question neatly answered by the end of a season, you may want to adjust your thinking when it comes to "Foundation."

"I love it when a little offhanded moment that happens in episode two pays off in episode eight, or even in a later season. I like the universes of these big epics to feel fully lived in and 360 degrees. I like it when there are shades of gray. I like it when not every question is answered. I will say, in this season, we answer a lot of questions, and there are some questions we don't answer. And hopefully, the audience will be patient, because if we haven't answered a question, there's a reason why we haven't answered a question. And it's not because we forgot about it."

Click here for the full interview. "Foundation" arrives on AppleTV+ on September 24, 2021.