Tag: Isaac Asimov

Emmerich will (attempt to) build Asimov’s ‘Foundation’

Here’s the news:

As reported by Empire Online, director Roland Emmerich is set to direct the feature film adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s science fiction classic ‘Foundation’.

Here’s my take:

Hold on to your seats folks, because this is one Movie Geek that’s not very pleased. As much as I enjoyed ‘Independence Day’ I must admit that I am NOT a fan of Roland Emmerich. I know he’s only making the movies he makes because that’s what he enjoys. He’s said that in at least one interview. Then again, that’s the same argument made over and over again by Uwe Boll. Look at it this way… since ‘Stargate’ and ‘ID4’, Emmerich has done the following:

‘Godzilla’ (1998) – Need I go into detail on why this was a failure? ‘Thirteenth Floor’ (1999, as producer) – Just not a good movie! ‘The Patriot’ (2000) – OK, this is an exception, but it’s not a sci-fi film so it really doesn’t apply to this discussion. ‘Eight Legged Freaks’ (2002, as producer) – Seriously? ‘The Day After Tomorrow’ (2004) – Plot that’s been done to death and the FX weren’t even that great! Oh, and it was entirely unbelievable! … and finally ‘10,000 BC’ (2008) which was perhaps the most boring film of it’s kind I’ve ever had the displeasure of sitting through.

Emmerich is a showman, and not a very good one at that. He’s never really made a film with any depth or meaning, so to imagine him taking on a story as powerful and demanding as Asimov’s ‘Foundation’ series is not promising. Which brings me to the point that he’s almost always done films heavy with special effects. ‘Foundation’ would need to rely more on story than special FX, of which not many are truly necessary. Not to mention it’s a series. Would this be one single movie? If so, would it try (unsuccessfully) to cram too much into one film? I’m not seeing a positive outcome here. What do others of you who’ve read ‘Foundation’ think about this development?

Here’s just a very basic plot synopsis for the story from Empire:

The book’s a science fiction classic, but one not heavy on the explosions or giant lizards or sabretooth tigers that are the usual hallmark of the Emmerich metier. The story is hinged around the development of something called “psychohistory”, a cross between sociology and mathematics that makes it possible to predict the path that a civilisation will take.

The founder of this science,  Hari  Seldon, foresees the collapse of the galactic empire of his day, and establishes a colony on a planet called Terminus. This outpost is supposedly to compile an Encyclopaedia Galactica that will preserve technology and history through the dark ages, but in fact serves as an experiment in psychohistory, a planet whose very existence will change the destiny of the kingdoms around it as the empire collapses. The first novel, essentially a collection of short stories, sees Terminus weather the first 175 years of its existence – but there’s a whole series of books in the series, including a slightly more action-y prequel and another on the second planetary colony that preserves the secrets of psychohistory itself.

[source: Empire]

Isaac Asimov’s ‘Foundation’ being considered …

Two brave producers, Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne (founders of the now gone New Line), are considering a sci-fi movie project to rival them all. They want to pursue making sci-fi legend Issac Asimov’s “Foundation” into a movie. The concept has been circulating in Hollywood circles for a few years, but now it seems to finally have some weight to it. Here’s the very abridged synopsis, courtesy of Empire News, who broke the story:

[The story is about the fall of a Galactic Empire (no, not that one) and its aftermath. A mathematician called Hari Sheldon has invented a science called “psychohistory” which can predict the future for large-scale human concerns (so not whether you’ll meet a mysterious stranger, but definitely whether civilisation will survive the next  millenium). Sheldon sees that the Empire is going to collapse, and that there will be a period of barbarism lasting 30,000 years, but he also predicts that, with the help of psychohistory and a planet called Foundation filled with experts in sciences and philosophy from all over the Empire, that barbaric age can be reduced to 1,000 years. The first book, Foundation, tells the story of that planet.]

This sounds really cool, but I have one primary very important question … with such a vast and complex story, covering such a broad span of time and massive number of characters, will they ultimately risk the success of the film [especially for fans] by trying to cram it all into one film, or will they be “cool” like Peter Jackson and instead respect the material and its significance and make it a film in multiple parts? What do you all think? Should this get made? Will it even translate well on screen? One movie or a movie in multiple parts?