We originally told you that New Line founders Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne were developing an adaptation of Isaac Asimov's 1951 novel Foundation, the first in Asimov’s classic space opera saga. Now it has been announced that Roland Emmerich, best known for directing The Day After Tomorrow and Independence Day, will be directing the Foundation trilogy for Sony.
I must admit, I’m a bit disappointed with this choice of director. While Emmerich has come up with some seriously good popcorn entertainment, such as Stargate and The Day After Tomorrow, he hasn’t managed to create anything with any real depth or intelligence (remember the scene in Independence Day where Jeff Goldblum and Will Smith infect the alien mother ship’s computer system with a computer virus they had spent all of 30 seconds writing? Presumably aliens use Microsoft Windows too). Some of his misfires have been spectacularly bad. Those of you who watched Godzilla and 10,000 Years BC may agree.
Foundation started out as a series of eight short stories in Astounding Magazine in 1942, but went on to become Asimov’s most famous and long running series. The Foundation series comprises seven novels set in the same fictional universe (but in a later time period) as Asimov’s Robot Series.
Asimov’s Foundation tells the story Hari Seldon, a scientist who has figured out how to predict the future based on a branch of mathematics he developed called psychohistory. Using psychohistory Seldon foresees the fall of the Galactic Empire and a Dark Age lasting thirty thousand years before a second great empire arises. To shorten this Dark Age, he creates two Foundations on opposite ends of the galaxy, each Foundation designed to keep scientific knowledge alive.
Still, it’s a great story. Maybe we’ll get lucky. Emmerich recently completed 2012 also with Sony.
Another Isaac Asimov book, The End of Eternity, is also being adapted for the big screen.
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