Jonathan Nolan—screenwriter, Person Of Interest creator, and professional Christopher Nolan sibling—has been tapped by HBO for an adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s classic Foundation series. Nolan, the co-writer of many of his brother’s movies, including Interstellar and The Dark Knight, has previously worked with the network on J. J. Abrams’ Westworld reboot.
The Foundation books, loosely based on Edward Gibbon’s The History Of The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire, tell the story of the last days of a vast galactic empire, and the rise of a new power structure in its wake. Spanning several centuries, the series shows how history can be shaped by psychology, sociology, and the currents of trade and technological advance. Or, in the words of Jonathan Nolan, showing himself to be a long-time fan of the series’ subtle use of language and understated drama in an interview with Indiewire, “There are some ideas in those [books] that’ll set your fucking hair on fire.”