The biggest science fiction epic on TV is back. After a two-year wait, Foundation Season 3 is almost upon us. Based on the immortal Isaac Asimov novels, this ambitious series has been chronicling centuries of space opera action since 2021.
Created by David S. Goyer, Foundation Season 3 looks to be the most action-packed and perhaps best-realized season. While Season 2 explored personal relationships in this tumultuous galaxy, Season 3 seems poised to go very, very big. And, for fans of the books, one key plot point is finally being adapted.
Here’s what to know about Foundation Season 3, including when it comes out, whether there’s a Season 3 trailer, and where the plot of the massive sci-fi series might go next.
What is the Foundation Season 3 Release Date?
As revealed on the Apple TV+ app, Foundation Season 3 will hit on July 11, 2025. This means new episodes of Foundation will roll out on Fridays, which follows previous release schedules. This debut comes a full two years after the premiere of Season 2 in 2023.
One episode will drop every week, for a total of 10 episodes.
Is There a Foundation Season 3 Trailer?
Yes! On May 7, Apple TV+ revealed the first teaser trailer for Foundation Season 3. In it, we finally see the full-blown reign of The Mule, a telepathic mutant who sows galactic chaos. This is something fans of the Asimov books have been expecting to see for a very long time, and in Season 2, some of Gaal’s future visions teased The Mule’s arrival.
The trailer also shows us a version of Brother Day (Lee Pace) who seems to be on the run, and perhaps no longer in charge of the Empire.
Who’s in the Foundation Season 3 Cast?
Because Foundation Season 3 will jump ahead another 152 years, the number of returning characters depends on whether we’re dealing with new clones, or if some people have managed to go into suspended animation. Oh, and don’t forget about immortal robots! With that in mind, here’s who’s returning for Foundation Season 3.
- Jared Harris as Hari Seldon, the creator of the Foundations and psychohistory. At the end of Season 2, he and Gaal went into suspended animation and woke up 152 years later.
- Lou Llobell as Gaal Dornick, Hari’s best student, who has now survived two time jumps.
- Lee Pace as Cleon aka Brother Day, one of the cloned Emperors.
- Cassian Bilton as Cleon aka Brother Dawn, the youngest version of the cloned Emperors.
- Terrence Mann as Cleon aka Brother Dusk, the oldest version of the cloned Emperors.
- Pilou Asbæk as The Mule. Previously, this character was played by Mikael Persbrandt, but Apple TV+ has confirmed with Inverse that this is now Asbæk’s role.
- Laura Birn as Demerzel, the immortal robot who holds the true power in the Empire.
- Alexander Siddig Dr. Ebling Mis, a big Hari Seldon fan. This famous Deep Space Nine vet previously appeared in Season 1 as Advocate Xylas, who was anti-Seldon.
What is the Plot of Foundation Season 3?
Although the first two seasons of Foundation weren’t straightforward adaptations of the first two Asimov novels, aspects of Season 1 did dovetail with Asimov’s Foundation, while Season 2 brought in characters from the second book, Foundation and Empire. Now, with Season 3, the third book — Second Foundation — is clearly getting unpacked. But psychohistory and old novels can only tell us so much; there’s still plenty that sci-fi fans won’t be able to predict.
This is the book that has the most overt conflict in it, as the dangerous Mule takes over the galaxy. A manipulative telepathic mutant capable of all sorts of disguises, The Mule is also the one element Seldon’s prophetic psychohistory was unable to predict. As such, his reign is one of the books' most interesting aspects.
Season 3 will also have to address the galaxy’s massive power vacuum following the breakup of the Cleon dynasty at the end of Season 2. And, of course, there’s also the notion of a secret Second Foundation, designed to finish the work of the first, should they fail.
