Lee Pace and Jared Harris have been cast in the lead roles of the upcoming Apple series Foundation. The series is based on the Isaac Asimov novel series of the same name. It chronicles the saga of The Foundation, a band of exiles who discover that the only way to save the Galactic Empire from destruction is to defy it.
Harris will star as Hari Seldon, a mathematical genius who predicts the demise of the empire. Pace will star as Brother Day, the current Emperor of the Galaxy.
Pace previously starred in the acclaimed AMC series Halt and Catch Fire and also led the cult favorite ABC series Pushing Daisies. On the film side, he most recently starred as John DeLorean in the film Driven, which was the closing film of this year’s Venice Film Festival and also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. He also recently appeared in the blockbuster Marvel film Guardians of the Galaxy as Ronan, a role he reprised in Captain Marvel. His other notable film roles include The Fall, The Hobbit franchise, and A Single Man.
Harris has been nominated for two Emmys in his career — most recently for his starring role in HBO’s Chernobyl and previously for his supporting role in AMC’s Mad Men. He also starred in the first seasons of Carnival Row and The Terror as well as the first two seasons of The Crown. His film roles include The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Lincoln, and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. He will also appear in the upcoming film Morbius, which is set in the Spider-Man universe.
David S. Goyer will serve as showrunner and executive producer. Josh Friedman, Robyn Asimov, and Skydance Television’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Marcy Ross also executive producing. Skydance will serve as the studio on the series.
Apple’s streaming platform, Apple TV Plus, is due to launch on Nov. 1. Shows that will be available upon the launch of the streamer include The Morning Show starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, See starring Jason Momoa and Alfre Woodard, and For All Mankind starring Joel Kinnaman.
