'Foundation's Trailer Introduces a New Generation for Season 3

Like many British shows, Foundation straddles a frustrating line between being "Too American" (or at least "Not British Enough") while starring British acting legends alongside up-and-coming U.K. talent. Based (very loosely) on the short stories of American author Isaac Asimov that were eventually collected and published as The Foundation Trilogy, the Apple TV+ big-budget science fiction series is also written and directed by Americans, which means we here at Telly Visions really only cover it when a trailer arrives or some of our fan favorites join the ensemble. Luckily, Season 3 has both! 

Apple TV+ has been releasing new seasons every two years since the show's debut in 2021, which means Season 3 is gearing up to arrive in the summer of 2025. It's fortuitous timing, as Foundation is one of the streaming service's most ambitious series to date (and that's saying a lot), but has been barely watched by anyone, mainly because there weren't enough people on the service to make it a hit commensurate with the show's aspirations. However, since the debut of Severance Season 2, Apple has made significant leaps forward in viewership numbers, and the trailer strongly suggests that producers hope viewers will watch this, too.

Considering the show is a semi-anthology series with centuries-long time jumps between seasons, not having watched the first two won't be a significant impediment for those checking out the series for the first time. It also means that every season brings in some new high-profile faces to join the roster.

Here's the trailer.

Here's the new season's synopsis:

Season 3 continues the epic chronicle of a band of exiles on their monumental journey to save humanity and rebuild civilization amid the fall of the Galactic Empire.

Set 152 years after the events of Season 2, The Foundation has become increasingly established far beyond its humble beginnings, while the Cleonic Dynasty’s Empire has dwindled. As both of these galactic powers forge an uneasy alliance, a threat to the entire galaxy emerges in the fearsome form of a warlord known as “The Mule,” whose sights are set on ruling the universe through physical and military force, as well as mind control. 

It’s anyone’s guess who will win, who will lose, who will live, and who will die as Hari Seldon, Gaal Dornick, the Cleons, and Demerzel play a potentially deadly game of intergalactic chess.

Foundation Season 3 will once again bring back Jared Harris (The Crown) as Hari Seldon, Lee Pace (The Hobbit) as Brother Day, Leah Harvey (A Gentleman in Moscow) as Salvor Hardin, Laura Birn (A Walk Among the Tombstones) as Demerzel, Lou Llobell (The Pilgrim) as Gaal Dornick, Terrence Mann (Sense8) as Brother Dusk, and no-longer-quite-a-newcomer Cassian Bilton as Brother Dawn. 

Season 3 will introduce three prominent actors to the roster, with Alexander Siddig (Star Trek: DS9) as Dr. Ebling Mis, Troy Kotsur (CODA) as planetary leader Preem Palver, and Pilou Asbæk (Game of Thrones) taking over the role of The Mule from Season 2's Mikael Persbrandt. 

They'll be joined by an all-new supporting cast that includes British actors Leo Bill (Funny Woman) and Synnøve Karlsen (Miss Austen), Australian actor Cody Fern (House of Cards), American actors Cherry Jones (The Handmaid's Tale) and Brandon P. Bell (Dear White People), Danish actor Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing (Santos), and Icelandic-French actor Tómas Lemarquis (SOKO Wismar).

Series creators David S. Goyer and Josh Friedman once again lead the writer's room, overseeing the ten-episode season, with director Roxann Dawson returning to helm episodes. Goyer and Dawson also serve as executive producers, as does Robyn Asimov for her father's estate. The rest of the executive producing team includes Bill Bost, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Matt Thunell, David Kob, Christopher J. Byrne, Leigh Dana Jackson, and Jane Espenson. 

Foundation Season 3 will debut on Friday, July 11, on Apple TV+, with new episodes released weekly, every Friday, through September 12, 2025.