Apple teases its Isaac Asimov sci-fi epic in this trailer for Foundation

Oh, you thought Dune was the only fantastical sci-fi adaptation on the way? Well, here comes Foundation, an adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s books for Apple TV+ that stars Jared Harris as one of the only people smart enough to recognize the threat facing future-humanity. Also, Lee Pace is apparently playing the emperor of the galaxy, and if “Jared Harris as a smart guy trying to save humanity didn’t interest you,” surely “Lee Pace is the emperor of the galaxy” will do it. If not, who are you and what do you want from TV? (Though, for the record, some internet research suggests that Pace’s character might’ve been invented for the show, so it’s actually unclear what he’ll be doing.)

For those of us who do want to see Lee Pace as the emperor of the galaxy (if that’s what he is), Apple has released a trailer for Foundation. While it’s heavier on behind-the-scenes footage than actual stuff from the show, there is a bold insistence that Foundation inspired basically all of the sci-fi epics that people know and love—so surely if you like Star Wars you’ll like this. That’s what they’re saying, at least. We’ll have to wait until 2021 to see if we buy that argument, since that’s when Foundation will premiere.