Asimov sci-fi epic "Foundation" coming to screens !!!

[CatBar]

Have you heard that an author Mickey Zucker Reichert has an agreement with the Asimov Estate to write 'Robots and Chaos', the first of three 'authorized sequels' of Asimov's robot stories, featuring Susan Calvin...?

They could now have an 'Asimov Robots' season, showing this as a film along with the 'Foundation' film....

 

[Boygor]

1st post

Seems like we're doomed - Roland Emmerich is on board. It'll be space battles all the way...

 

[Rodders]

If it brings a new and younger audience to Asimov, can that really be that bad a thing?

 

[ktabic]

It can be. If Hollywood takes, say a series of stories about the emergence of AI robots and our attempts to teach and control them and turns it into, say, a robot uprising that can be battled only by a single, never believed, cop. Expectations are set and when they get to the original material, it might well fail to be what they think it should be.

 

[Majimaune]

I'm with you Ktabic. It would definitely be a bad thing, especially if they throw in space battles. Half of the theory behind the series is peace so it doesn't really work.

By the way, I am part of the younger audience. Asimov is still moving around in the circles.

 

[Moggle]

The ousted founders of downsized studio New Line Cinema are producing an adaptation of the Isaac Asimov sci-fi epic "Foundation."

"Foundation" is based on Asimov's "Foundation Trilogy," which centers on a society that has figured out how to predict the future based on a method called psychohistory and sets up a foundation devoted to scientific research to protect itself and ensure its survival.

Source: Asimov sci-fi epic "Foundation" coming to screens - Yahoo! News

Someone please tell me the books have alot more things going for them this summary.

 

[Daisy-Boo]

I'm with ktabic and boygor on this. I enjoy Emmerich's shoot 'em up films but the Foundation series is not about epic space battles and a lone hero battling the forces of evil.

While I was never much drawn to the character of Hari Seldon, I was fascinated by the robot characters of R. Daneel Olivaw and R. Giskard Reventlov. I shudder to think what Hollywood will do to them, that's if poor Giskard even gets into the film. Giskard was more of a back room type of guy (robot) but his influence on Daneel was profound - it was Giskard who came up with the Zeroth Law, if I remember correctly - and that influence changed the course of history.

 

[CatBar]

...that's if poor Giskard even gets into the film.

Giskard not being in the film...!? Is that discrimination on the part of the film-makers or what? Or just corner-cutting. Giskard's one of the prime characters (as well as one of the best) along with the wonderful Daneel.

As you say, what sort of a meal will Hollywood make of all this. I squirm to think of some thick-necked brat-packer playing Daneel too.

 

[Daisy-Boo]

I imagine that Giskard might not be deemed "sexy" enough. Daneel is handsome and indistinguishable from humans but Giskard is unmistakeably a robot. He has no sassy retorts or flashy tricks that would translate well onto the big screen. I hate to be a Debbie Downer but I'm not optimistic about Foundation being in the hands of Emmerich.

 

[GrownUp]

Where will the movie start, with Bailey, and the robot books, or further on with the foundation books?

 

[Majimaune]

Well it is saying Foundation so I would imagine Foundation, though Bailey would be more interesting thats for sure.

Hari Seldon isn't a character to make a movie about I wouldn't think. He is, in my view, altogether boring. It is only his science and his maths that is needed. If they could skip the first couple of books and go to Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth it could be a lot more interesting. They have the whole adventure stuff there and could add in some epic space battles if they wanted to because that area is a little bit more flexible.

 

[CatBar]

I imagine that Giskard might not be deemed "sexy" enough. Daneel is handsome and indistinguishable from humans but Giskard is unmistakeably a robot. He has no sassy retorts or flashy tricks that would translate well onto the big screen. I hate to be a Debbie Downer but I'm not optimistic about Foundation being in the hands of Emmerich.

Maybe I should make this film...(har har). 'My' Giskard would be made sexy! (And handsome).

I could send the producers all my fanfic on Daneel, Elijah and Giskard and give them some fresh ideas. (Again har har for when do film makers ever listen to anyone but themselves!)

In these 'my' Giskard has plenty of sassy retorts, and, along with Daneel, some fine sharp-tongued badinage and, yes, a bit of swearing and saucy humour too. I've also made Daneel far more sassy and upfront - though still (I hope) with that kind of cool that he has.

But there one goes....'Debbie Downer', I'm sure, would not appreciate funny and sexy robots!

 

[Daisy-Boo]

Maybe I should make this film...(har har). 'My' Giskard would be made sexy! (And handsome).

I could send the producers all my fanfic on Daneel, Elijah and Giskard and give them some fresh ideas. (Again har har for when do film makers ever listen to anyone but themselves!)

In these 'my' Giskard has plenty of sassy retorts, and, along with Daneel, some fine sharp-tongued badinage and, yes, a bit of swearing and saucy humour too. I've also made Daneel far more sassy and upfront - though still (I hope) with that kind of cool that he has.

But there one goes....'Debbie Downer', I'm sure, would not appreciate funny and sexy robots!

Go for it! Just please, PLEASE, don't cast Robin Williams. That is all I ask.

 

[CatBar]

I was being tongue-in-cheek (as usual)! I suppose, for a film, one would have to write one of those 'screenplay' type formats, which looks more complicated and time-consuming.

Or would just writing, like a script for a play, be OK...? I'd be alright with just providing dialogue and a bit of simple scene-setting - but letting the producers get on with writing-up any technical stuff.

No, I wouldn't go and put in Robin Williams - not that I've anything strongly against him but he'd probably be a bit old by now. I'm not that clued-up on actors but, for Daneel, I REALLY liked a tall, lean, graceful and very handsome actor called Brent Barrett - only he'd be around 51 by now so again perhaps a bit 'old' to act someone who looked in his early-30s. (The same would go for Brent Spiner, great (and handsome) when he did Data, but probably a bit jowly now for the lean-clean-cut Daneel).

And it'd be terrific if they included material from the four Robot Novels, starting with Lije Baley and the Caves of Steel, and going on to Gladia and the Fastolfes, Landaree, DG, Berto Niss and others. Hari Seldon would be OK so long as he didn't drone on with too much maths and cerebral stuff and got on with his martial arts instead! Dors Venabili would be awesome though.

 

[Darkday]

Looks like "Foundation" will become a mini-series instead of a movie:

We're trying to do it as a big mini-series, but even there you would have to change the story itself and set it in a time when the galaxy has fallen apart – and then you're pretty much making a TV show with all these characters and playing all the scenes out. You can [do that] and we'll see what happens. We tried so hard [to make it into a movie], honestly, because it's one of my most favourite books. I just love it.

Source: Empire

 

[quantumtheif]

The foundation can only be done as a mini-series IMO. The source material is too rich to be knocked down to two and half hours. They would have to make foundation a series of movies to truly grab the story, but unfortunately its not well known enough to do so.

I agree with ktabic; I think they will spice it up with battles that are not in the book, but spicing the foundation up won't be so bad if they keep the base story. I just hope there won't be compromises, and we end up with a world war Z situation.

 

[JoanDrake]

Over the years I have noticed that many Hollywood studios, and even some rich stars, seem to make a hobby of collecting the rights to SF stories, which they then just let sit. This may be because they're very aware of just how close the relationship is between SF movies and the state of FX technology but sadly uninformed as to just how difficult it is to raise several hundred million dollars.

I've seen more than one SF book of great success and renown become a movie which bankrupted everyone connected with it (usually excepting the authors, the one piece of sweet revenge they sometimes get). And then there are atrociously written but very expensive FX fests which earn in the billions (cough, Avatar, cough)

It might be, however, that Foundation is slated for success. I'm very much behind the idea that it would make a better tv miniseries than movie. If the story of a HS Chem teacher becoming a drug kingpin can capture the imagination of the world it may be a time when people will listen to Hari Seldon's story