Roland Emmerich developing Foundation

Looks like the rights to Isaac Asimov’s legendary sci-fi tale have a home at Sony – and with Roland Emmerich attached to direct.

Foundation was original published by Asimov as a series of eight short stories, and forms a complicated saga about humans scattered across planets in the future, ruled over by a Galactic Empire.

But when a psycho-historian scientifically glimpses into the future to discover the empire on the brink of collapse, he must set to work saving mankind’s knowledge.

Spectacle

Yes, while the man who made 10,000BC (and is due to swamp us with 2012 this year) might certainly have a handle on the spectacle side of sci-fi, we’re not 100% convinced that he’s the man for the Foundation job.

Okay, given the plot, we’re down to about 22%.

And just how did Sony/Columbia scoop up the rights? Seems Fox had the rights originally, but lost them to New Line before the company was taken over by Warners.

WB, feeling a little gun-shy after the Watchmen debacle, allowed the rights to lapse in the hopes they could grab them up in a Fox-fee state at a later date.

Cue Sony’s sneaky bidding at an auction for the rights and the Emmerich-filled position the property now finds itself in. Still, maybe he won’t decide to make it, eh?

[Source: Variety ]

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