Foundation season 3 has reportedly been greenlit, but nobody can talk about it
Has Apple secretly greenlit a third season of its hit sci-fi series Foundation? If it has, its showrunner and cast aren't telling.
Speaking exclusively to TechRadar at Foundation season 2's press junket, creator David S Goyer was quick to play down suggestions that filming had already begun on the Apple TV Plus series' next installment.
In April, a report from The Midgard Times claimed that principal photography had already started on Foundation season 3. Apple is yet to officially announce another 10-episode entry for one of the best Apple TV Plus shows around, though, and at the time it was easy to dismiss the Midgard Times' report as hearsay.
However, in early June, The Prague Reporter suggested that filming had actually gotten underway on the series' third season. The reputable Czech-based news outlet has previous form for revealing when and where Foundation season 2 was being shot in the central European nation. In April 2022, the website was the first to break the news that filming had begun in Prague, two months after the first image and new cast details for Foundation season 2 were revealed.
With speculation around the show's renewal continuing to swirl online, I asked Goyer if he had started shooting its next installment. Unfortunately, he wasn't willing to (or, rather, couldn't) confirm if that was the case.
"I won't be able to speak to that," Goyer responded. "We just put the finishing touches on season two around a month ago [May 2023], and so much of what happens with season three will depend on how well this season is received in the first few weeks."
Okay, so Goyer didn't want to play ball. But what about Lou Llobell and Leah Harvey, who portray Gaal Dornick and Salvor Hardin, respectively, in the prestige sci-fi drama? As it turns out, the pair were equally as secretive as Goyer.
"I don't know who started that rumor," Llobell said. "But I hope it's true! We're on season two right now. Like the first season, we can't get ahead of ourselves."
"I actually can't talk about that," Harvey briefly added. "I don't know if season three is on the way."
Of course, it's entirely possible that Goyer and company have started shooting season 3, but that they can't confirm that's the case until Apple says so. In my view, though, there's no smoke without fire, so it's likely that production has begun on Foundation's next season, even if nobody's able to state as much.
Even if the cast and crew have started secretly filming season 3, though, production could grind to a halt in the very near future. The Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA), the trade union that represents Hollywood stars, has been unable to renegotiate a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP) ahead of the July 12 cut-off point, which has now passed.
In May, SAG members unanimously voted to strike if a deal wasn't reached by that deadline. In a statement posted on its official site, SAG-AFTRA's National Board confirmed that it would vote today (July 13) to decide whether to move forward with the industrial action. If SAG votes in favor of striking, filming will pause on all Hollywood productions, which have already been impacted by the ongoing writers' strike for weeks.
In short: if SAG-AFTRA votes to strike, work will stop on Foundation season 3 if it's quietly entered full production. So, while Goyer and company couldn't tell me if the rumors are true, they probably won't matter by the end of today anyway.
For more exclusive Foundation coverage as we build up to season 2's launch on July 14, read our spoiler-light review of Foundation season 2 episode 1. Additionally, find out why Goyer isn't worried about claims that Foundation is turning into Apple's version of Star Wars.
