WB doing 'Foundation' trilogy

[vakie]

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/...8e18e265bbed4a

I hope their idea of an 'adaptation' is not the kind of stuff Fox did on I, Robot..

[frulad]

As I wrote in my review of I, Robot, "Any sembelance between this movie and the Asimov collection of short stories that bears the same name is strictly coincidental."

Foundation has been in and out of development as far back as the early 1980s. I think it is a bit too episodic for film, perhaps better suited to a HBO or Showtime limited series. Of course, I, Robot is a collection of short stories, yet Harlan Ellison's late `70s draft weaved them into a cohesive narative. (Even if he did rip off the structure of Citizen Kane. But then again, if you're ripping off, rip off the best.) Maybe they should let Harlan take a crack at the script.

[Andrew_Swallow]

I enjoyed "Foundation" as a BBC radio series.

[Dan Dassow]

I hope they to not ruin the Foundation Series

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/...8e18e265bbed4a

I hope their idea of an 'adaptation' is not the kind of stuff Fox did on I, Robot..

In my humble opinion, AsimovÆs Foundation Series is significantly more difficult to adapt to film than TolkienÆs Lord of the Rings. The Foundation Series is philosophical, thoughtful and frequently talky. It spans hundredÆs of years and multiple generations. It is more of a science fiction mystery series of books than action novels. I cringe at the thought it could be ruined in the same fashion as I, Robot.

This quotation from the article gives me hope.

Calling the trilogy "one of the things I've had close to my heart" since he read the books as a young man, Shaye said the project had as its goal locating and creating an audience for the Asimov classic. "Our idea to renew the worldwide audience's appetite for the story," he said.

Shaye noted that the books' political themes, particularly its focus on the rise and fall of empires, give the movie a geopolitical relevance. But he also said their complexity would cause the company to move forward carefully. "This is not a script you can knock out in six months," he said.

...

Shaye said that the ambition of the "Foundation" project makes it the right movie to kick off the Unique slate. "This epitomizes the movies we want to make, not the movies that ought to be made to fill a slate or movies that repeat an old formula," he said.

[glindros]

I have read the whole Foundation series, including the non-Asimov ones. I gone through two soft cover copies of the first three Foundation Books, and currently on a hard cover version. I typically read The Foundation Trilogy at least once a year. I would not consider myself an expert, but definately a knowledgeable fan.

After what I saw them do to I Robot, I cringe at the thought of Foundation being "adapted". I wish they would just say inspired by, and name it something else.


As of right now I'm waiting for Hari Seldon appear, and tell me how to get though this crisis.

[JoeD80]

After what I saw them do to I Robot, I cringe at the thought of Foundation being "adapted". I wish they would just say inspired by, and name it something else.

I'm not sure if he is still attached to the project, but apparently the writer of I, Robot (Jeff Vintar) is the one they had at Fox for adapting Foundation as well...

[JoeD80]

Columbia has this now

Apparently due to all the legal issues involving Watchmen, this picture's rights went up for grabs and Columbia had the winning bid. Roland Emmerich is slated to direct and produce along with Michael Wimer.

[vakie]

.......................

[Righteous Bros]

Any trilogy will have to have at least 1 recurring character and the only ones it could possibly be is either Hari Seldon (but he only has small parts in the books) or R Daneel Olivaw and he isn't in the original trilogy anyway (if memory serves)

It could only be told in flashback.

Would love to see it done right as the books are phenomonal.

[Dan Dassow]

Any trilogy will have to have at least 1 recurring character and the only ones it could possibly be is either Hari Seldon (but he only has small parts in the books) or R Daneel Olivaw and he isn't in the original trilogy anyway (if memory serves)

It could only be told in flashback.

Would love to see it done right as the books are phenomonal.

Since psychohistory is involved, in the case of Hari Seldon, this could be a series of Hari Seldon videos that are played when the event he predicted occurs. R Daneel Olivaw narration would be be told in flashbacks.

Regardless, I doubt that whoever makes this will give the Foundation Series the respect that it deserves.

Dan Dassow

[Dr Maturin]

Speaking of Asimov, I wouldn't mind a Baley/Olivaw miniseries.

R Daneel Olivaw and he isn't in the original trilogy anyway (if memory serves)

Your memory serves you well. At least it does if my own memory serves...

But for a movie adaptation, I wouldn't mind them putting him in all of them.

[Dan Dassow]

Speaking of Asimov, I wouldn't mind a Baley/Olivaw miniseries.

But for a movie adaptation, I wouldn't mind them putting him in all of them.

The Caves of Steel and The Naked Sun are probably the most suitable Isaac Asimov novels for filming.

[Dr Maturin]

The Caves of Steel and The Naked Sun are probably the most suitable Isaac Asimov novels for filming.

Well, the former has been filmed at least once.

[vakie]

Digging up this thread, latest tidbits from Emmerich: he's hired Robert Rodat (Saving Private Ryan, The Patriot) to write the script.

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=57499

"'Foundation' is my first attempt to do a series of movies, because we're developing three movies: 'Foundation,' 'Foundation and Empire' and 'Second Foundation,'" he told us. "It took me a long time to actually wait for the moment where the rights were totally free and we got them all, it's like 11 books, and we own the title 'Foundation' and also some of the robot novels and now we can really do these. I just hired a very good writer, the writer of 'Saving Private Ryan' who wrote 'The Patriot' for me and he's incredible. He is the most knowledgeable person I ever met about the 'Foundation' novels. It's great to write with somebody like that because there's no, 'I'll just look in the book and see what's there'... he knows it. I had a certain idea and he had a certain idea and that together I think will make this a movie."

[frulad]

Encouraging, but this is still Roland Emmerich, who will probably try to find a way to shoe-horn in a scene of the White House being destroyed.