Foundation season 3's filming restart date has reportedly been delayed amid severe production problems.
According to Deadline, principal photography on the hit Apple TV Plus sci-fi show was supposed to begin again this month after a lengthy shutdown due to the 2023 Hollywood actors and writers strikes. However, budgetary issues and other production dilemmas have apparently hindered Foundation season 3's development, with the bulk of its cast and crew being told to head home until such problems are ironed out.
Deadline's report comes one week after showrunner David S. Goyer took to Instagram to reveal location scouting and other preparatory work was being conducted in the Czech city of Prague, as well as neighboring country Poland. We don't know if Goyer's round-up of images were snapped prior to the show's newest production snags, or posted to potentially convince fans that work was ongoing without any hitches.
TechRadar has reached out to Apple for an official comment and we'll update this article if we receive a response.
Laying the foundations on shaky ground
Per Deadline's sources, full production on the third season of Foundation had already started prior to last year's Hollywood-based industrial action.
Principal photography previously began in the first half of the year, with Deadline's sources corroborating a June 2023 article from The Prague Reporter that filming started in May last year. Individuals with ties to the series also told Deadline that one third of the show's next installments had been shot before last year's strikes prevented further work from being carried out.
The Prague Reporter's assertion came in spite of Foundation's cast telling TechRadar that they couldn't comment on rumors surrounding the series' season 3 renewal. It would be another six months before Apple officially announced that Foundation would return for a third season – and, considering it's one of the best Apple TV Plus shows around, it fully deserves another run out, too.
It's unclear when principal photography will restart on Foundation season 3, but the latest filming postponement all but confirms it won't be released before the end of 2024. Speaking as part of a behind-the-scenes season 2 featurette on YouTube in October 2023, Goyer revealed it takes two years to make a single season of the visual effects-heavy series. If that time frame includes pre-production, as well as a season's filming schedule and lengthy post-production phase, we won't be seeing Foundation's third season until mid- to late 2025 at the very earliest. In short: you and I better settle in for an agonizing wait to return to late author Isaac Asimov's beautifully elaborate sci-fi universe.
While we wait, why not rewatch (or stream for the first time, if you're new to the show) Foundation's first two seasons on Apple TV Plus, aka one of the world's best streaming services? Before you do, read our Foundation season 1 episode review to get the lowdown on what to expect, then see how Foundation season 2 rights every wrong from its forebear in cosmically dazzling fashion.
