Movies
New Line duo build Asimov's 'Foundation'
Published Tuesday, Jul 29 2008, 10:14 BST | By Simon Reynolds
Former New Line chairmen Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne will produce an adaptation of Isaac Asimov's classic sci-fi novel Foundation, says The Hollywood Reporter.
The pair, who recently set up their own production company Unique Features, will guide the ambitious project with Jumper producer Vince Gerardis and studio Warner Bros.
Asimov's Foundation trilogy had long been considered too difficult to adapt for the screen. The story, which places philosophy in front of action and plot, charts the rise and fall of civilisations and spans across hundreds of years.
Shaye conceded that turning Foundation into a movie would be difficult: "This is not a script you can knock out in six months."
The producer added that if the first film was a success then Asimov's follow-up books Foundation And Empire and Second Foundation would also be turned into movies.
"This epitomises the movies we want to make, not the movies that ought to be made to fill a slate or movies that repeat an old formula," Shaye said.
The pair, who recently set up their own production company Unique Features, will guide the ambitious project with Jumper producer Vince Gerardis and studio Warner Bros.
Asimov's Foundation trilogy had long been considered too difficult to adapt for the screen. The story, which places philosophy in front of action and plot, charts the rise and fall of civilisations and spans across hundreds of years.
Shaye conceded that turning Foundation into a movie would be difficult: "This is not a script you can knock out in six months."
The producer added that if the first film was a success then Asimov's follow-up books Foundation And Empire and Second Foundation would also be turned into movies.
"This epitomises the movies we want to make, not the movies that ought to be made to fill a slate or movies that repeat an old formula," Shaye said.
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