A Foundation Movie? Oh please, anything but that!

[AllWalker]

I while ago I noticed a brief section in Wiki's article on Asimov's classic Foundation that they were planning to make a movie based on it. Now, Foundation is one of my all time favourite books, and whenever reading it I imagine myself as a director making it into a movie. But Asimov's works have translated badly into movies before. I cite Bicentennial Man. I cite I, Robot.

But I wasn't too concerned. After all, the rumours were probably false, and even if they were true, well, maybe the movie would turn out okay.

But then I noticed who they had signed up to direct it.

Roland Fucking Emmerich

A nice table of his works is laid out on his wiki page. If I may select a few from that list:

Directed Universal Soldier - Oh dear. Well, that was a long time ago. People can improve.

Directed and Wrote Stargate, the original movie - Okay. That wasn't bad.

Directed, Produced and Wrote Independence Day - You get what you pay for. Aliens blowing up shit for no reason, then are defeated for no reason. But overall, a fun if stupid movie.

Directed, Produced and Wrote Godzilla - Well... that wasn't... that... it had it's moments. Right?

Directed, Produced and Wrote The Day After Tomorrow - Very pretty movie. Things got smashed. And icyfied. Not brilliant, but I suppose we weren't expecting brilliance.

Directed, Produced and Wrote 10,000 BC - ...

Holy SHEEET! That... NO! STAY AWAY FROM MY FOUNDATION, YOU LUNATIC!!

No one with his level of experience should have created such a steaming pile like 10,000 BC. Heck, someone with my experience shouldn't have either, and I struggle turning on a video camera. And Foundation isn't even his sort of movie - he makes great big actiony CGI explosy type movies. Foundation is far more subtle. It isn't until the second book of the (extended) trilogy that a battle is even fought.

So here's my suggestion on how to handle the movie trilogy. We get Michael Bay to direct it. Keanu Reeves can play Salvor Hardin, Ben Affleck would make a great Hari Seldon and I can't get the idea of Matt Damon as the Mule out of my head. Then, the movie shows a great statue of Asimov in the middle of Cyclopedia Square, and all these characters come together to bludgeon it repeatedly with lightsabers. Yes, lightsabers. Yes, bludgeon with lightsabers. Then there's a two-hour battle as the Foundation battles is out with the Empire over the skies of Terminus, Foundation wins and Salvor Hardin wins the heart of the hot chick, played by Cameron Diaz.

[Oliveloaf]

Well, here's the good news. Even if this makes the movie, someone else will make it again in 15 years.

[jali]

It's time for me to re-read t.he Foundation series.

[Baldwin]

I while ago I noticed a brief section in Wiki's article on Asimov's classic Foundation that they were planning to make a movie based on it. Now, Foundation is one of my all time favourite books, and whenever reading it I imagine myself as a director making it into a movie. But Asimov's works have translated badly into movies before. I cite Bicentennial Man. I cite I, Robot.

I assure you, those were cinematic masterpieces compared to the movie allegedly based on "Nightfall" that came out in the '80s.

It does seem odd. Emmerich's career has been about pretty pictures with absolutely no intellectual depth. The Foundation stories (as I remember them) are all about ideas. The fanbase for the books won't like the kind of movie Emmerich would make, and Emmerich's existing fanbase isn't capable of understanding the books -- so what's the point?