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HBO Developing Asimov's Foundation Series As TV Show

Posted by Soulskill on from the to-succeed,-planning-alone-is-insufficient dept.

wired_parrot writes: Jonathan Nolan, writer of Interstellar and The Dark Knight, and producer of the TV show "Person of Interest," is teaming up with HBO to bring to screen a new series based on Isaac Asimov's Foundation series of books. This would be the first adaptation of the Hugo-award-winning series of novels to the screen.

6 of 242 comments (clear)

  1. I'm sure it will suck by gander666 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Since the book(s) have all the action in the background, and the big reveal in the post crisis recap, I am sure the movie will suck. The temptation to turn it into a special effects Michael Bay-like cinema enema will ruin the complex story line. But the CGI teams will win a shit-tonne of awards.

    --
    Suppose you were an idiot and suppose you were a member of Congress ... but I repeat myself. - Mark T
    1. Re:I'm sure it will suck by pavon · · Score: 3, Insightful

      This is an HBO series, not a movie. They are big on dramas, not CGI explodaramas. I have my reservations about how well this will translate, but if it sucks it won't be because they turned it into a Michael Bay action shit-fest.

    2. Re:I'm sure it will suck by alexander_686 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It's not the translation of action that I am concerned about. It can be done. Books and movies have different strengths, and "action" is not the strong suit of books. HBO has done a good job. Personally, I think of Jackson's Lord of the Rings / Hobbit movies, where Jackson either extended or invented from scratch action scenes.

      I am more concerned about scope. Each chapter in the Foundation saga is a vignette, a thin slice of time, separated by vast amounts of time. For each seasons they would almost have to fire the entire cast, strike all of the sets, etc. It would have the same problem as anthology shows like the Twilight Zone or Tales from the Crypt. There is a low correlation between a winning episode and a losing episode. Hit upon a great story line or a new great actor and you need to junk it for the next episode. The Twilight Zone was consistently good, but Tales from the Crypt was all over the place.

  2. Just the trilogy, I hope by Tony+Isaac · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The original trilogy was awesome, but later books were not the same caliber. But knowing how the entertainment industry works, they'll milk it for all its worth.

  3. Re:Yes! by Austerity+Empowers · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Foundation was not really prudish, but Asimov really didn't include (any that I recall) blatant sex scenes or sexual themes in his books, at least directly. It was always between the lines, as a means to advance the plot. Similarly the language was pretty clean most of the time. I'm not sure how this fits HBO's M.O. I mean they added MORE sex to Game of Thrones, and the books I think covered almost every variety and perversion attainable without giving characters internet access.

    Foundation to me was always more Star Trek style science fiction, geared towards dreamers and full of hope (even in spite of what psychohistory predicted, and why Foundation existed). In contrast, HBOs other series, though well done, tend to focus on our seedier side. HBO can make a good show, but I wonder if the end product will resemble the series it's based on. Sex won't ruin it, but done the way HBO does it, will certainly be distracting.

  4. Re:Hope it's better than the movies by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I Robot had nothing to do with the book. It was in fact written on another title first and then they bought the name to slap on it because people would recognize it, and, hey, it's about robots, right? A bit of script touch-up to change a few names (gotta have Susan Calvin, although of course she won't be plain) and put in a few references to Asimov's concepts, and we're done!