The third season of Apple's sci-fi series, Foundation has officially wrapped up filming this Friday (July 19) in Prague, Czech Republic, after it resumed production in March this year. The third season was also filmed for a few weeks in the cities of Warsaw and Lublin in Poland.
The third season began filming in April 2023, but after filming for more than three months, the production was halted in July 2023 due to the actor's strike. At the time of the halt, around three months of the shoot was still pending. After the strike ended, production was supposed to resume in February 2024, but was delayed again for a few days due to budget issues and finally resumed on March 6, 2024, with Poland as another shooting location.
The show's budget was reportedly cut for Season 3 because of the massive delay due to the WGA strike. However, it has been confirmed that there will be no reduction in the no. of episodes and hopefully not in their quality as well. The post-production is set to take another 8 months to finish as per the current schedule. So, it is safe to assume that the third season won't be coming before February 2025 at least. We can expect ‘Foundation’ Season 3 to be released sometime in Spring or Summer 2025 on Apple TV+.
‘Foundation’ Season 3 has already added a good number of new faces to the cast. In Season 3, Alexander Siddig will play Dr. Ebling Mis, a self-taught psychohistorian, Troy Kotsur is Preem Palver, the leader of a planet of psychics, Pilou Asbæk as Warlord aka The Mule, he replaces Mikael Persbrandt, who recurred as the character in Season 2. The new Season 3 faces also include Cherry Jones as Foundation Ambassador Quent, Synnøve Karlsen as Bayta Mallow, Cody Fern as Toran Mallow, Brandon P. Bell as Han Pritcher, Tómas Lemarquis as Magnifico Giganticus, Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing as Song, and Leo Bill as Mayor Indbur. “Foundation” Season 3 returning cast members include Jared Harris, Lee Pace, Lou Llobell, Leah Harvey, Laura Birn, Cassian Bilton, and Terrence Mann.
The second season of Foundation premiered on July 14, 2023, on Apple TV+, with its finale episode released on September 15, 2023. The second season reportedly has fewer viewers than the first season.
At the end of Season 2, with all three brothers gone or dead, Demerzel decants a new one of each and activates the Prime Radiant duplicate Seldon gave her. Hari's vault pulls Constant's pod inside, where she realizes that it contains the entire Terminus population (including Glawen), reuniting her with Poly and her fathers. On Ignis, when Gaal tells Salvor how she saved Hari from drowning, the three discover that Tellem has been bending all Mentalics to her will until now, and her death has set them free. However, before dying, Tellem's consciousness fled into Josiah, whom she orders to try to murder Gaal. Salvor foils the attack and kills Josiah, but he dies taking the shot intended for Gaal. Salvor's death provides Gaal and Hari hope and proof that the future is not predetermined. They agree to go into cryo-sleep, waking up for a brief period each year to instruct and lead the Second Foundation and prepare them for the upcoming conflict. An upset Mule discovers Gaal's presence one hundred and fifty-two years later.
Season two of "Foundation" picked up more than a century after the season one finale, with tension rising across the galaxy. An enraged queen plans to destroy the Empire from within as the Cleons disintegrate. Hari, Gaal, and Salvor come into a colony of Mentalics with psychic abilities that threaten to change the course of psychohistory. The Foundation has reached its religious phase, spreading the Church of Seldon across the Outer Reach and sparking the Second Crisis: war with the Empire.
Skydance Television produces "Foundation" for Apple, led by showrunner and executive producer David S. Goyer, with Alex Graves, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Bill Bost, Robin Asimov, and Marcy Ross all serving as executive producers.