‘Foundation’ Season 4 Cast, Story, & Everything We Know

Warning: Spoilers ahead for the Foundation Season 3 finale!Apple TV’s take on Isaac Asimov’s Foundation books will continue with Season 4. While many details are currently being kept under wraps, certain pieces of information start to create a vivid image of the next batch of episodes. Some of the news surrounding Foundation Season 4 could be interpreted as concerning, but there’s still cause to be excited about the epic space opera’s return.

Beginning in 2021, Foundation has been an ambitious project from the start. The task of adapting Asimov’s literary source material seemed like an unreachable goal given the scale of the story. However, other than a few tweaks and tasteful additions, Foundation has managed to beat the odds and serve as an impressive small-screen translation of the iconic sci-fi novels. Season 4 will be looking to maintain that scale and the quality of the show overall.

‘Foundation’ Season 4 Is Confirmed With a New Showrunner

David S. Goyer Is No Longer in Charge

Foundation was created for television by David S. Goyer, and he has served as the showrunner and one of the primary writers during the first three seasons. After Season 3 paused production to address Apple TV’s budgetary concerns about the show, Goyer came back as a producer rather than the showrunner. Executive producer Bill Bost inherited the responsibility and saw Season 3 through to its conclusion. Neither Goyer nor Bost will be in the showrunner’s chair for Foundation Season 4.

The upcoming run will actually have two showrunners: Ian Goldberg (Fear the Walking Dead) and David Kob (The Flash). While Kob had already written two Foundation episodes before his promotion to co-showrunner, Goldberg is completely new to the project going into Season 4. Goyer will still be involved as a producer, but won’t have a role that’s nearly as prominent. That said, his overall roadmap for Foundation‘s larger storyline has been handed to his successors. They are largely expected to follow it.

‘Foundation’ Season 4’s Filming Schedule Suggests a 2027 Release

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Presumably to save on costs, Foundation Season 4 will be the show’s first run to be shot entirely within the Czech Republic. While it’s already been a prominent shooting location in previous seasons, others have been used in the past. The Prague Reporter has confirmed Jan. 5, 2026, as Foundation Season 4’s first day of shooting. There are reportedly “over 120 filming days planned,” which means the production should wrap in May 2026.

Using the timeline of previous seasons as a reference, Foundation Season 4 will probably premiere in 2027, roughly a year after its wrap date. The show’s heavy use of CGI calls for a lot of time to be spent in post-production, but Foundation‘s glossy aesthetics have continually proven that the wait is worthwhile. It’s currently unknown whether the reduced budget will impact the show’s special effects, but the visual quality of Season 3 suggests there won’t be much of a problem.

What ‘Foundation’ Season 4 Will Be About

1953’s ‘Second Foundation’ Is the Source Material

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Foundation has added and changed several characters and storylines that never appeared in Isaac Asimov’s source material. However, the legendary sci-fi author’s books have otherwise been adhered to with a generous amount of respect. By the end of Foundation Season 3, the first two books in the series have been adapted by Apple TV. 1951’s Foundation was followed by 1952’s Foundation and Empire, and 1953’s Second Foundation concluded the original trilogy.

So, Second Foundation is next in line for the live-action treatment. What sets the book apart from its predecessor is that it doesn’t open with a time jump. Instead, it’s a direct sequel to Foundation and Empire. The 1953 effort picked up the Mule’s story where book two left off, after the reveal of the villain’s true identity. Although the identity of the Mule differs between the book and the show, Foundation Season 4 will follow in its source material’s footsteps by also acting as a direct sequel. Second Foundation does feature a sizable time jump roughly halfway through, but it’s unclear whether its live-action counterpart will follow suit.

‘Foundation’ Season 4’s Storyline Preserves Key Members of the Cast

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Because time jumps are such a big part of Foundation‘s centuries-long plot, Apple TV has had to come up with ways to maintain a relatively consistent cast. Certain characters, like Gaal Dornick (Lou Llobell) and Hari Seldon (Jared Harris), are only briefly in the first Foundation book, and then they never return. Other big changes, like making Cleon into a string of clones, have allowed Cassian Bilton, Lee Pace, and Terrence Mann to continually return and play different versions of Empire’s ruler. Because Season 4 is opening without a time jump, this creative adaptation approach isn’t as necessary.

For instance, Terrence Mann’s Brother Dusk/Darkness functionally ended the Cleonic Dynasty in the Season 3 finale, leaving just three clone emperors breathing and with no way to create more. A Season 4 time jump would have wiped three actors from the cast, but following Asimov’s blueprint means this won’t happen. So, in a way, the author is preserving characters who weren’t even technically in his original story, because the clones aren’t in the source material. As it stands, although it’s unconfirmed, Bilton, Pace, and Mann are all expected to return for Season 4, playing the exact same characters they were when Season 3 ended.

Similarly, changing the identity of the Mule to Bayta Mallow (Synnøve Karlsen) instead of being Magnifico Giaganticus (Tómas Lemarquis), means the actors behind both characters can return in Season 4. The mass comeback for Foundation Season 3’s ensemble can allow the upcoming run to focus entirely on storytelling rather than trying to write around Asimov’s revolving door of characters. It made sense in the books, but Apple TV’s take on Foundation understandably wants a group of recognizable and familiar faces.

Release Date

September 23, 2021

Network

Apple TV+

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