Isaac Asimov's Foundation: A Roland Emmerich Film

[Elok]

http://www.deadline.com/2011/09/hot-scribe-dante-harper-takes-on-isaac-asimovs-foundation-for-sony-and-roland-emmerich/?_r=true

Yes, that's right: the virtuoso responsible for 10,000 BC, Independence Day and 2012 is taking on a sci-fi classic. This is very exciting news for me. I expect it will feature lots of exciting shots of riots and spaceship crashes as the Empire collapses, with Seldon helping a small family escape them by predicting what random people will do next: "Psycho-history predicts that the Klagdonites will go out whoring tonight! We can take a shortcut through their territory to reach the Space Ark...I think. It'll be dangerous, but dammit, we have no choice!"

It'll be just like the books. I'm just thrilled, aren't you?

[giblets]

I've never read it. What exactly is psycho-history?

[Elok]

You should read it. Basically, the premise is that a man in the far future has discovered a way to mathematically model human behavior at very large scales, and thus "predict the future" with reasonable accuracy. He predicts that the interstellar empire he lives in will collapse in short order, and convinces the powers-that-be to set up a small base--a "foundation"--that will endure the chaos and, by reacting in the way he expects to a series of upcoming crises, become the basis of a new Empire in a relatively short time. The novels show how his predictions unfold over the centuries. The first three books, Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation, are good. I think the later sequels he wrote (and the prequels written by others) are pretty crap.

[Lorizael]

He wrote two prequels himself, Prelude to Foundation and Forward the Foundation. Forward the Foundation has its flaws, but I've always liked it for its insights into a dying Asimov.

[Guynemer]

I read it a long time ago; I vaguely remember a character named The Mule.

[loinburger]

The movie might be decent with Rifftrax audio

[DanS]

http://www.deadline.com/2011/09/hot-...erich/?_r=true

Yes, that's right: the virtuoso responsible for 10,000 BC, Independence Day and 2012 is taking on a sci-fi classic.

There was a movie called 2012?

[The Mad Monk]

It was what you would expect.

[Elok]

The movie might be decent with Rifftrax audio

I don't know. The idea's so stupid it basically parodies itself. "So...here's that guy everybody confuses with Jerry Bruckheimer, tackling a highly cerebral sci-fi epic that basically denies the significance of individual actions. Apparently he heard 'collapse of interstellar empire,' got an Emmerection and greenlit it without hearing the rest."

[giblets]

I thought you said the book was about this one guy who saves the world and founds an empire or something? I don't understand how that denies the significance of individual actions.

[notyoueither]

He can't divert the flow of 'history.' He can only stick a rudder in and find a desirable destination.

[Imran Siddiqui]

I read it a long time ago; I vaguely remember a character named The Mule.

Yes, the super man (as it were - more super mutant) who throws a wrench into Seldon's mathematical predictions.

I thought you said the book was about this one guy who saves the world and founds an empire or something? I don't understand how that denies the significance of individual actions.

Because he does it based on math (laws of mass action), basically. The idea is that his math shows that no individual can really change history, but it will continue on a preset course based on group dynamics. This does wonderfully until the Mule shows up (who has the psychic ability to alter people's emotions).

[Elok]

I thought you said the book was about this one guy who saves the world and founds an empire or something? I don't understand how that denies the significance of individual actions.

The whole series is predicated on the idea that, in significantly large groups, human behavior is entirely predictable within a pretty small margin of error. The "action" consists of Hari Seldon's initial plan being played out, centuries after he dies, by millions and millions of unwitting human actors who find themselves forced to choose exactly the way he predicted. At least, that's the first book. Come to think of it, individual actions do play a role in the second and third books, so those might be workable, sort of. But there's precious little in the way of big explosions or battles or any other stuff that Emmerich likes, which makes it the second-most baffling of recent movie announcements.

The most baffling announcement, of course, is the upcoming adaptation of Paradise Lost, which supposedly will feature lots of exciting aerial angel fights.

[BeBMan]

It will be a cineastic masterpiece, like "I, Robot".

[Elok]

Good job with the spoiler tags there, Imran.