‘Foundation’ Is Getting a Season 3!

Foundation season 2 ended on a monumental cliffhanger last September, and since then, fans have waited for news of a season 3 renewal. Today, Variety broke the news that Foundation season 3 is indeed on its way.

“I’m thrilled Apple has given us the opportunity to continue chronicling Asimov’s pioneering galactic saga,” showrunner and executive producer Gavid S. Goyer told Variety. “This time, the stakes for Foundation and Empire are even higher as the Mule takes center stage, along with fan-favorites Bayta, Toran, Ebling, and Magnifico Giganticus.”

How does Foundation season 2 set up season 3?

This article contains major spoilers for Foundation season 2!

So far, Foundation is only a fraction of the way through the cataclysmic series of events that Hari predicts at the beginning of season 1. At the end of season 2, Seldon and his protégée Gaal are in cryosleep with the Mentalics, having decided to lay low until they catch up with Gaal’s frightening vision of the Mule in the far future. Terminus has been destroyed, but the hologram of Hari that resides in the Vault has whisked all of its inhabitants to safety, where they pick up Brother Constant in her escape pod. Meanwhile, the line of succession on Trantor is now in disarray, with Dawn and Sareth pregnant with a biological heir while Demerzel tightens her hold on the genetic dynasty.

The entire Foundation series is a countdown to the Empire’s complete collapse, and the Foundation’s efforts to save humanity from the ensuing chaos and barbarism. The series hasn’t gotten there yet—but it’s inching ever closer.

Does Foundation follow the original series by Isaac Asimov?

If you’re trying to divine how much more Foundation there is to come based on what happens in the books, don’t bother—the show is jumping around in the books’ chronology, and in some cases, it’s veered away from Asimov’s original story completely. It’s impossible to predict where the series might go if you’re going purely off the books.

However, thanks to the season 2 finale and Goyer’s renewal announcement, we now know that the telepathic warlord the Mule—also a major figure in the books, in which he’s the greatest threat to Hari’s plan to save humanity—will be at the center of season 3.

So when is Foundation season 3 coming out?

Seeing as the renewal was just announced, it’s too early to try and figure out when exactly season 3 will premiere. However, Goyer has already started planning season 3, telling The Wrap that “It’s bonkers what happens” in the next installment of the series.

Season 2 premiered a little less than two years after the premiere of season 1, so we could potentially be looking at a 2025 release for season 3—assuming the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes didn’t set things back too much. In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed for a swift release, and your Prime Radiant at the ready.

(via Variety, featured image: Apple TV+)