Apple to Develop New Series Based on Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy

Apple is developing a new series based on Isaac Asimov's classic sci-fi trilogy Foundation with Skydance Television, Deadline reports.

The series will be written and executive produced by Josh Friedman and David S. Goyer, who will also serve as co-showrunners. Skydance Television acquired the rights to the project last year. The company is also behind Altered Carbon for Netflix, Condor for Audience Network, Dietland for AMC, and Jack Ryan for Amazon.

Asimov's book trilogy comprised of the novels Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation, and they're set in a time when the Milky Way is under the control of the Galactic Empire. A mathematician named Hari Seldon creates a method to predict the fall of the empire, leading him to organize a group known as The Foundation to preserve and build on human knowledge and plan the rise of a new empire.

This is the latest attempt to adapt Asimov's trilogy to the screen. Over the years, multiple film adaptations have been in development, and more recently, HBO teamed up with Roland Emmerich and Westworld producer Jonathan Nolan to try to develop a series but these attempts never worked out.

Foundation is the latest project that will be added to Apple's roster of scripted originals including Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories anthology, M. Night Shyalaman's untitled psychological thriller, Steven Knight's See, and a comedy starring Kristen Wiig. It looks like Foundation is the most ambitious project Apple has taken yet, and I hope that it will be as popular as HBO's Game of Thrones.

Read more: Amazon's The Lord of the Rings TV Series Will Reportedly Have 5 Seasons & It Will Cost Them $1 Billion