Apple Working on TV Show Adapted From Isaac Asimov's 'Foundation' Novels

asimovfoundationApple has inked a deal for a TV series adaptation of Isaac Asimov's Foundation science fiction novels, reports Deadline. The series, created by Skydance Television, is in development for straight-to-series consideration.

Skydance last June scored the rights to Asimov's estate, and since then, David S. Goyer and Josh Friedman, who will serve as executive producers and showrunners, have been working on developing a TV show based on the Foundation books. Goyer has previously worked on "The Dark Knight," "Batman Begins," Ghost Rider," and more, while Friedman is known for "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" and "Emerald City."

Foundation is Isaac Asimov's most popular and well-known science fiction series, which includes titular novel Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation, along with additional books Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth.

The series follows psychohistory expert and mathematician Hari Seldon who is able to predict the future. Seldon creates a group called the Foundation to preserve humanity's collective knowledge ahead of the impending fall of the Galactic Empire. The novels span many years and cover the rise and fall of multiple empires, so it isn't a simple undertaking to adapt it into a TV show.

Along with the Foundation-based TV show, Apple is working on several other science fiction shows, including a reboot of Steven Spielberg's "Amazing Stories," an untitled space drama developed by Ronald D. Moore, best known for the 2004 reboot of "Battlestar Galactica," and an epic world-building drama called "See," which is set in the future.

Apple has more than a dozen TV shows in development in total, and rumors have suggested we could see the first of these debut starting in 2019. For a full list of what Apple's working on, make sure to check out the original content section of our Apple TV roundup.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Popular Stories

airpods pro 3 purple

New, Higher End AirPods Pro Coming This Year

Tuesday January 20, 2026 9:05 am PST by
Apple is planning to debut a high-end secondary version of AirPods Pro 3 this year, sitting in the lineup alongside the current model, reports suggest. Back in September 2025, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to introduce a successor to the AirPods Pro 3 in 2026. This would be somewhat unusual since Apple normally waits around three years to make major...
iOS 27 Mock Quick

iOS 27 Will Add These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Sunday January 18, 2026 3:51 pm PST by
iOS 27 is still many months away, but there are already plenty of rumors about new features that will be included in the software update. The first beta of iOS 27 will be released during WWDC 2026 in June, and the update should be released to all users with a compatible iPhone in September. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense...
smaller dynamic island iphone 18 pro Filip Vabrous%CC%8Cek

iPhone 18 Pro Leak: Smaller Dynamic Island, No Top-Left Camera Cutout

Tuesday January 20, 2026 2:34 am PST by
Over the last few months, rumors around the iPhone 18 Pro's front-panel design have been conflicted, with some supply-chain leaks pointing to under-display Face ID, reports suggesting a top-left hole-punch camera, and debate over whether the familiar Dynamic Island will shrink, shift, or disappear entirely. Today, Weibo-based leaker Instant Digital shared new details that appear to clarify the ...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

MacBook Pro Buyers Now Facing Up to a Two-Month Wait Ahead of New Models

Sunday January 18, 2026 6:50 pm PST by
MacBook Pro availability is tightening on Apple's online store, with select configurations facing up to a two-month delivery timeframe in the United States. A few 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro configurations with an M4 Pro chip are not facing any shipping delay, but estimated delivery dates for many configurations with an M4 Max chip range from February 6 to February 24 or even later. At...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Thursday January 15, 2026 10:56 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another eight months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models, as of January 2026: The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID...

Top Rated Comments

jordii Avatar
102 months ago
So far, none of the TV shows that have been rumored, do I have any interest in. SIGH
Shows are just shows, but what's really interesting are your personal preferences!

Me? I like giraffes.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
neilw Avatar
102 months ago
Now you've got my interest. Seems like a difficult series to adapt, and I'll be curious to see how they handle the tie-ins to his other series (particularly the Robots of Dawn and Robots and Empire books).
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
asopublic Avatar
102 months ago
('https://www.macrumors.com/2018/04/10/apple-tv-show-asimov-foundation/')



Apple has inked a deal for a TV series adaption of Isaac Asimov's Foundation ('http://deadline.com/2018/04/apple-isaac-asimov-foundation-tv-series-david-goyer-josh-friedman-skydance-1202361072/') science fiction novels, reports Deadline ('http://deadline.com/2018/04/apple-isaac-asimov-foundation-tv-series-david-goyer-josh-friedman-skydance-1202361072/'). The series, created by Skydance television, is in development for straight-to-series consideration.

Skydance last June scored the rights to Asimov's estate, and since then, David S. Goyer and Josh Friedman, who will serve as executive producers and showrunners, have been working on developing a TV show based on the Foundation books. Goyer has previously worked on "The Dark Knight," "Batman Begins," Ghost Rider," and more, while Friedman is known for "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" and "Emerald City."

Foundation is Isaac Asimov's most popular and well-known science fiction series, which includes titular novel Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation, along with additional books Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth.

The series follows psychohistory expert and mathematician Hari Seldon who is able to predict the future. Seldon creates a group called the Foundation to preserve humanity's collective knowledge ahead of the impending fall of the Galactic Empire. The novels span many years and cover the rise and fall of multiple empires, so it isn't a simple undertaking to adapt it into a TV show.

Along with the Foundation-based TV show, Apple is working on several other science fiction shows, including a reboot of Steven Spielberg's "Amazing Stories ('https://www.macrumors.com/2017/10/10/apple-steven-spielberg-amazing-stories/')," an untitled space drama developed by Donald D. Moore ('https://www.macrumors.com/2017/12/15/apple-space-drama-tv-show/'), best known for the 2004 reboot of "Battlestar Galactica," and an epic world-building drama ('https://www.macrumors.com/2018/01/10/apple-see-drama-series/') called "See," which is set in the future.

Apple has more than a dozen TV shows in development in total, and rumors have suggested we could see the first of these debut starting in 2019. For a full list of what Apple's working on, make sure to check out the original content section of our Apple TV roundup ('https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/apple-tv/#apples_content_ambitions').

Article Link: Apple Working on TV Show Adapted From Isaac Asimov's 'Foundation' Novels ('https://www.macrumors.com/2018/04/10/apple-tv-show-asimov-foundation/')
[doublepost=1523377833][/doublepost]I can't wait!
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SteveJay10 Avatar
102 months ago
So far, none of the TV shows that have been rumored, do I have any interest in. SIGH
Foundation series is fantastic group of books. Much promise there.
[doublepost=1523379256][/doublepost]
Horrible news. I have been waiting for someone to adapt this book series to TV, but having it appear on Apple TV with its Disneyfication of entertainment content, it will prove disappointing.

I agree that sex and violence and swearing need not always proliferate on these kinds of entertainment services, but Apple drawing the line and declaring they will provide ONLY "wholesome" programming will leave this entire franchise crippled for creative direction. There is a healthy balance between forcing cloyingly sweet "family" focused entertainment vs something an adult can dig into and actually enjoy once the kids go to bed.

The only thing worse then hearing Apple will pick up this franchise would be to find out ABC Freeform was going to distribute it. I don't care of the pedigree behind the showrunners of this franchise, Apple will force their hands creatively to suit Apple and so it will suck, period.
The Foundation series is totally PG. virtually no sex and little in any of the books. So it’s perfect for Apple.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ChrisCW11 Avatar
102 months ago
Horrible news. I have been waiting for someone to adapt this book series to TV, but having it appear on Apple TV with its Disneyfication of entertainment content, it will prove disappointing.

I agree that sex and violence and swearing need not always proliferate on these kinds of entertainment services, but Apple drawing the line and declaring they will provide ONLY "wholesome" programming will leave this entire franchise crippled for creative direction. There is a healthy balance between forcing cloyingly sweet "family" focused entertainment vs something an adult can dig into and actually enjoy once the kids go to bed.

The only thing worse then hearing Apple will pick up this franchise would be to find out ABC Freeform was going to distribute it. I don't care of the pedigree behind the showrunners of this franchise, Apple will force their hands creatively to suit Apple and so it will suck, period.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
0958400 Avatar
102 months ago
Oh Apple, focus.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)