Foundation season 2 will officially launch on July 14 – and its new trailer is teasing an epic sci-fi war like those seen in Star Wars and Star Trek.
Until today (May 11), we only knew that Apple TV Plus' hit show would return to our screens in Q2 2023 – Apple confirming as much with a first-look teaser at Foundation season 2 in January. Now, though, we have confirmation that the ambitious sci-fi series, which is based on Isaac Asimov's seminal book series of the same name, will be with us in mid-July.
To celebrate the occasion, Apple also released another trailer for Foundation season 2. For the most part, it shows Brother Day and Hari Seldon (his AI construct, anyway), plus their respective sides in the growing galactic conflict, dealing with the fallout from the first season, as well as new perils awaiting them across the cosmos. And, based on the threats presenting themselves, it could be as action-packed and thrilling as other big sci-fi franchises, such as Star Wars and Star Trek.
Take a look at the new teaser below:
In a press release, Apple revealed more of what we can expect from the next installment of one of the best Apple TV Plus shows around.
"More than a century after the season one finale, tension mounts throughout the galaxy in Foundation season two," the plot synopsis reads. "As the Cleons unravel, a vengeful queen plots to destroy Empire from within.
"Hari, Gaal, and Salvor discover a colony of Mentalics with psionic abilities that threaten to alter psychohistory itself. The Foundation has entered its religious phase, promulgating the Church of Seldon throughout the Outer Reach and inciting the Second Crisis: war with Empire. The monumental adaptation of Foundation chronicles the stories of four crucial individuals transcending space and time as they overcome deadly crises, shifting loyalties and complicated relationships that will ultimately determine the fate of humanity."
Lee Pace, Jared Harris, Leah Harvey, and Lou Llobell all return as the show's main characters in Brother Day, Hari Seldon, Salvor Hardin, and Gaal Dornick. Terence Mann, Laura Birn, and Cassian Bilton, who also starred in season 1, are due back as Brother Dusk, Eto Demerzel, and Brother Dawn, too.
In February 2022, we also learned of the swathe of new Foundation season 2 characters – both new creations for the TV adaptation, and the addition of fan-favorite folk from Asimov's novels – who'll appear in the forthcoming season.
That includes Ella-Rae Smith (Fast & Furious: Hobbs and Shaw) as Queen Sareth, a revenge-driven monarch who we see interacting with Brother Day in the latest trailer, and Rachel House (Moana) as Tellem Bond, a leader of the so-called Mentalics who is also shown off in the teaser. Meanwhile, Dimitri Leonidas (The Monuments Men) has been cast as Hober Mallow, a master tradesman who has a huge role in proceedings that threatens the current status quo of one of Seldon's Foundations.
David S. Goyer (Man of Steel, The Sandman) is on showrunning duties once more, with the writer, director, and executive producer also joined by Alex Graves, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Bill Bost, Robin Asimov, and Marcy Ross as producers on the series.
Foundation season 2 will launch with a one-episode premiere on Friday, July 14, with new entries in the 10-episode season arriving every Friday until the finale on September 22.
Laying the Foundations for a big sci-fi push
Foundation might not have laid the initial foundations for Apple TV Plus' burgeoning list of sci-fi shows – that honor goes to See, which launched two years before Foundation – but it's certainly helping to lead the charge now.
The highly ambitious (and no doubt expensive) TV series took its time to find its feet in season 1 but, by Foundation episode 10, it had shown there was audience demand for this kind of series on Apple TV Plus. Not only that, but it proved the tech corporation's streaming service was capable of telling compelling, long-form storytelling in the sci-fi space.
Since Foundation's first season ended, Apple has slowly grown its line-up of sci-fi positioned TV shows. Invasion, Severance, Silo, Circuit Breakers, and Hello Tomorrow! have all premiered on Apple, which is now one of the best streaming services around. And, while we don't know how well each one has performed – Apple is extremely secretive when it comes to viewing figures – the renewal of some of these programs, such as the forthcoming Severance season 2, clearly means Apple has confidence in such genre fare.
Apple TV Plus has found success in other genres, too, such as comedy (Ted Lasso, Shrinking) and psychological thrillers (Surface, Servant). But the company's penchant for sci-fi-led TV shows and movies is evidently paying dividends as well. Otherwise it wouldn't greenlight new installments of Foundation and company. Like the universe itself, there are no limits to the scope of Apple's sci-fi genre exploration – and the fan anticipation around Foundation season 2 proves it.
For more Apple TV Plus-based coverage, read our Apple TV Plus review and best Apple TV Plus movies guide. Alternatively, find out why Severance season 2 has been delayed, and check out the first tension-fuelled trailer for the Tom Holland-starring series The Crowded Room.
