Despite the sci-fi epic Foundation being a huge hit for Apple TV+, the restart of filming for season three has reportedly been postponed as producers look for ways to trim the budget.
The news is somewhat surprising, as leaks indicated that the series was costing less than many might expect.
Foundation production is on temporary hold
Foundation tells the story of a band of exiles struggling to save humanity during and after the fall of a Galactic Empire. It’s based on Isaac Asimov’s groundbreaking novels from the 1940s and 1950s. Season two, which aired in fall 2023, was more popular than almost everything else on any streaming service.
But filming for season three has run into problems. “Cast and crew who had already convened for the shoot were told to return home while production issues are sorted out, with the budget brought down,” reports the trade publication Deadline.
Foundation has not been known for sky-high production costs, despite offering amazing visuals and being filmed in locations scattered across Europe. Season one allegedly had a price tag of $45 million.
While that might sound like quite a lot to the man on the street, it’s much less than rival streaming services have poured into marquee shows. Disney+ reportedly paid $212 million for the wretched Secret Invasion series, for example.
Perhaps the producers realized that season three was going to balloon in cost and paused production to get the budget under control before it got out of hand.
More delays
The upcoming shoot for Foundation is actually not the beginning of season three production. That started in spring 2023 before being halted by the writers/actors strike last year. About a third of the season has supposedly already been filmed.
When the process will begin again is unknown. “No new start date has been set,” reports Deadline. That means a release date for new episodes on Apple TV+ is anyone’s guess, but fall 2024 seems unlikely.
