Asimov - 100

Al Jackson

Al Jackson

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Not only Asimov's 100th, but also, approximately, Foundations' 80th. Between 1940 and 1950 Asimov wrote the Foundation Trilogy... under the mentor-ship of John W Campbell on the pages of Astounding Science Fiction Magazine. Foundation is essentially big-thinks-domesticated space opera, about as far away from Flash Gordon as one can get. That was the hallmark of Campbell's magazine with many authors creating it, Asimov, Robert Heinlein, Theodore Sturgeon , L Sprague De Camp , just to mention a few. Changed the genre of prose science fiction forever. (Alas this kind of SF has been slow to be adapted for film and TV, tho it is now finally happening.)
Last two parts of the first trilogy were Now You See and Now You Don't (March 1948 to November 1949).... this became Second Foundation.
 

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Asimov is a huge part of my childhood and teens. I've read just about all his science fiction, his Azazel stories were a treat, a couple of his mysteries, and some of his non-fiction work. He was a prolific author and a giant influence in science fiction.
 
I don't know if a lack of film/TV adaptation ia something to be unhappy about. Genre fiction suffers when it has to have a general box office appeal.


I need to revisit Foundation. It's been 35 years.
 
Star-child said:
I don't know if a lack of film/TV adaptation ia something to be unhappy about. Genre fiction suffers when it has to have a general box office appeal.


I need to revisit Foundation. It's been 35 years.
Click to expand...
We will have to see what Apple TV does with Foundation.
They have a cast and greenlighted production, I guess we will see it in 2021.
 
Al Jackson said:
We will have to see what Apple TV does with Foundation.
They have a cast and greenlighted production, I guess we will see it in 2021.
Click to expand...
Might be good TV - it is actually a pretty talky story rather than being full of action. Bunch of dudes in silver suits with CGI ski scrapers in the background and you're golden.

However, what seems reasonable in book form might be pretty clunky when acted out - that's my concern with adaptations and exposition on screen - the characters have to actually say some pretty ridiculous things to provide adequate context.

What would be fascinating would be to adapt a book while relying on the audience to have read the work so you don't have to provide any background. (No one will ever do that.)
 
As much as I want to see a good adaptation I doubt this will run more than a season. Apple would have been smarter to adapt Caves of Steel. It is a straight-up detective story in a sci fi setting. Much easier for a general audience to grasp and relate to. If that does well then maybe try Foundation.
 
Vince W said:
As much as I want to see a good adaptation I doubt this will run more than a season. Apple would have been smarter to adapt Caves of Steel. It is a straight-up detective story in a sci fi setting. Much easier for a general audience to grasp and relate to. If that does well then maybe try Foundation.
Click to expand...
I did not expect Man in a High Castle to run 4 seasons, it is more 'inner thoughts' than Foundation.
I expect they will keep the backbone story but action-o-fy it and do some updating.
This one will depend on the amount of imagination applied in an intelligent manner.
 
Al Jackson said:
I did not expect Man in a High Castle to run 4 seasons, it is more 'inner thoughts' than Foundation.
I expect they will keep the backbone story but action-o-fy it and do some updating.
This one will depend on the amount of imagination applied in an intelligent manner.
Click to expand...
That's what I'm afraid of. Their imaginations ruining a great story.
 
I echo Vince in saying that Asimov was a huge influence on me. I've been reading his autobiography (two volumes, with the first being In Memory Yet Green) and re-reading his fiction for his centennial year and posting about it on my blog. If anyone's interested, here are the links so far:
This was great timing as I've been itching to read the Foundation stories and the rest again for years but might never gotten around to it if I hadn't quit reviewing current SF and if his centennial hadn't followed and given me the necessary trigger. It's been fun and will only get better.
 
Vince W said:
As much as I want to see a good adaptation I doubt this will run more than a season. Apple would have been smarter to adapt Caves of Steel. It is a straight-up detective story in a sci fi setting. Much easier for a general audience to grasp and relate to. If that does well then maybe try Foundation.
Click to expand...

That would be great television.:cool:
 
It was already cast in 2013. Karl Urban and Micheal Ealy respectively. Fox messed up yet again by running Almost Human into cancellation. I thought from the start they could have played Bailey and R. Daneel.
iu

I don't see any reason to change this.
 
Vince W said:
It was already cast in 2013. Karl Urban and Micheal Ealy respectively. Fox messed up yet again by running Almost Human into cancellation. I thought from the start they could have played Bailey and R. Daneel.
iu

I don't see any reason to change this.
Click to expand...

They could. :)
 
Vince W said:
As much as I want to see a good adaptation I doubt this will run more than a season. Apple would have been smarter to adapt Caves of Steel. It is a straight-up detective story in a sci fi setting. Much easier for a general audience to grasp and relate to. If that does well then maybe try Foundation.
Click to expand...
Or Netflix. We don't have apple TV, not a fan of apple stuff
 
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