Apple’s TV series adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s epic sci-fi novel Foundation has already experienced its first major shakeup.
Josh Friedman, who was originally tapped to lead the show alongside David S. Goyer, has reportedly decided to step down from the project.
The split between Friedman and Apple was reportedly amicable, allowing Friedman to pursue other project. Goyer will now serve as the series’ sole show runner and co-writer. He will contribute scripts and oversee the writers room while handling other aspects of the project. Friedman will stay on as an executive producer, but won’t be involved in the day-to-day process of making the show.
Foundation is off to a rocky start
Foundation is about a galactic empire of humans living on multiple planets across the galaxy and their eventual downfall as a group of scientists try to save civilization from chaos. Originally published as a series in 1942, Foundation was one of the biggest inspirations behind Star Wars.
Multiple studios have tried to adapt Foundation into a TV series or movie and failed. One of the most recent attempts was by HBO who wanted Westworld showrunner Jonathan Nolan to bring it the screen.
Now that he has more free time, Friedman will spend it helping write the Avatar sequels with James Cameron. Apple grabbed the rights for the Foundation TV show over a year ago but development has been slow. The series wasn’t among the batch that Apple previewed last month during its big Apple TV+ reveal. The company declined to comment on the separation with Friedman and has not given a launch date for the show.
