After multiple production delays, the third season of the Apple TV+ sci-fi series Foundation is finally slated to resume its shoot in the Czech Republic from March 6, Deadline reports this week. The news comes just two weeks after cast and crew who had returned to the Czech Republic were unexpectedly sent home as the production sorted “issues with budgeting and physical production.”
Foundation had filmed roughly a third of its third season at Prague Studios and other locations in the Czech Republic, including Most, last summer before production was disbanded due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. Production was expected to resume this month before the additional delay, which has apparently been swiftly resolved.
While the news is good for fans of Foundation, the series’ future in Prague may not be as clear. Deadline reports that the remainder of the third season will be filmed in both the Czech Republic and Poland, which was not reported during production last year. The move suggests a potential move away from the Czech Republic for future seasons of the series.
Based on the long-running series of novels by legendary sci-fi author Isaac Asimov, Foundation charts the story of a group of otherworldly exiles who band together to ensure the future of humanity. Asimov based many of the ideas in his story on the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, and published an original trilogy in the 1950s followed by a pair of sequels and a pair of prequels in the 1980s-90s.
Foundation stars Lee Pace, Jared Harris, Lou Llobell, and Leah Harvey in its primary roles, with a supporting cast featuring Laura Birn, Cassian Bilton, Terrence Mann, Isabella Laughland, Kulvinder Ghir, Ella-Rae Smith, Holt McCallany, Rachel House, Nimrat Kaur, Ben Daniels and Dimitri Leonidas.
The series was developed by David S. Goyer, who also serves as showrunner and executive producer. Goyer will serve as director for the first two episodes in the third season of Foundation, but will not direct additional episodes, as was intended last summer.
The first season of Foundation was shot in Malta and debuted on Apple TV+ back in 2021. The second season, which transitioned to Prague in 2022, drew acclaim as a major step forward following its release on the streaming platform last summer.
While production of Foundation is finally slated to resume next month, the shutdown of production last year, which resulted in thousands of local industry workers losing their employment, may have some unexpected after-effects for the series’ future in the Czech Republic.
The announcement earlier this month that production had been indefinitely postponed, followed by a quick turnaround two weeks later, also suggests some larger issues behind the scenes.
Local industry members may have their hands full with the production of Blade Runner 2099 later this spring, but that series is intended to be a one-off limited run rather than the kind of long-running series that producers and fans hope for from Foundation.
One Response
Is this filming in Prague now? What about the Poland shoot?