Isaac Asimov's Foundation - Will It Ever Be A Movie?

[tabuno]

One of the greatest sci fi classics, Foundation by Isaac Asimov appears to be one of the last novels yet to be adapted into movie form unlike Frank Herbert's Dune. Can and will this great series become a movie?

[cinemabon]

yes, it's called Star Wars. That's as close as you're ever going to get. The Foundation Trilogy (then it was expanded) is far too cerebral for the average film goer. Even "Dune" with its lofty aspirations of casting stones at politics and religion, got lost on script writers who were more concerned with the perversions of House Harkonan(?), than with the very wise underlying message Frank Herbert was trying to impart. Issac Asimov is miles above most heads. Bringing him down to Earth would create only a poor shadow of that great work of science fiction.

[Russ]

I agree that Foundation (at least the 1st 3) are quite cerebral, but I'm sure that wouldn't stop Hollywood having a crack at it if there was a quid in it.

But if you think about it, Foundation and the 1st half of "Foundation and Empire" are quite episodic in nature. It certainly would not be a character driven movie / franchise.

Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth (I haven't read the prequels) would lend themselves to a movie far more - but without the background of the 1st 3 might be hard to place in context.

I would have thought the Elijah series (Caves of Steel, Naked Sun, Robots Of Dawn, Robots and Empire) are almost as cerbral as Foundation, and would really lend themselves to being done for thew big screen much more so than foundation - here's hoping

[stevetseitz]

It would need some work in the adaptation stage to be a viable trilogy.