Recently we told you about the upcoming adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation saga. Perhaps realising the cinematic potential of Asimov’s work, or just getting in on the act, New Regency recently acquired the rights to The End of Eternity, a time travel novel first published in 1955.
The End of Eternity tells the story of a ruling class, the Eternals, who can manipulate time and alter history to prevent disasters or remove people they believe will challenge the status quo. One of the time travellers breaks a cardinal rule by falling in love with a woman from another time period.
Eternals can only travel back as far as the 27th century when time travel was first invented, while they can only go forwards as far as the 70,000th century. One of the mysteries of The End of Eternity is why the inhabitants of this distant era are preventing the Eternals travelling beyond this point.
At one stage Ridley Scott and Tom Cruise were thinking about taking on the project with Paramount, but it never got off the ground.
The End of Eternity will be produced by Vince Gerardis and Eli Kirschner. Gerardis' company, Created By, also represented Asimov estate in finalising the deal for the Foundation adapation.
The End of Eternity could arguably be seen as a prequel to the Foundation saga. Asimov hinted in one of the later Foundation novels, Foundation’s Edge, that the Eternals might have been responsible for the all-human galaxy described in the Foundation saga, along with the development of humanity on Earth.
Asimov’s Foundation and The End of Eternity join Joe Haldeman's The Forever War, and Aldus Huxley’s Brave New World, two novels whose big screen adaptation is long overdue. The future for science fiction movie fans is looking good.
> Asimov hinted in one of the later Foundation novels, Foundation’s Edge,
> that the Eternals might have been responsible for the all-human galaxy
> described in the Foundation saga...
Which I always thought was strange, given that, in The End of Eternity, one of the motivations given for ending the reign of the Eternals was that they *prevented* human expansion into space and thus kept the (human) Galactic Empire from ever being founded.
Foundation will undoubtedly be ruined (expect to hear the word "reimagined" soon in regards to this), but I have a very good feeling about The End of Eternity - the screenwriter says that he has pretty much just clarified some of the details of the story. The End Of Eternity doesn't feel dated either, which bodes well for a successful film translation.
Just don't "I, Robot" it.
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