The galaxy is about to get a whole lot messier. Apple TV+ just dropped the first teaser trailer for Foundation Season 3, and it’s packed with enough interstellar drama to make even Hari Seldon rethink his math. The 10-episode season, based on Isaac Asimov’s legendary novels, premieres July 11, 2025, kicking off with one episode and dropping weekly every Friday until September 12. Buckle up, because a new warlord named The Mule is here to flip the galactic chessboard.
The Mule Takes Center Stage
Set 152 years after Season 2’s jaw-dropping finale, Foundation Season 3 finds the titular organization thriving as a galactic powerhouse, while the Cleonic Dynasty’s Empire crumbles. Enter The Mule (Pilou Asbæk, stepping into Mikael Persbrandt’s Season 2 role), a telepathic conqueror who’s not just swinging swords but bending minds. The trailer teases his campaign for universal domination, a major arc from Asimov’s Second Foundation that fans have been itching to see. Think Thanos with a side of psychic chaos.
The teaser, shared across platforms like X, spotlights returning stars Jared Harris as the ever-calculating Hari Seldon, Lee Pace as the embattled Brother Day, and Lou Llobell as Gaal Dornick, who’s fresh off a century-and-a-half cryosleep nap. Laura Birn’s Demerzel and Cassian Bilton’s Brother Dawn also get screen time, hinting at their roles in navigating this new threat. The visuals? As breathtaking as ever, with sprawling space vistas and tense standoffs that scream big-budget sci-fi.
New Faces, New Stakes
Season 3 isn’t just leaning on its veterans. Oscar winner Troy Kotsur (CODA) joins as Preem Palver, a psychic planet’s leader, while Alexander Siddig reprises his role as psychohistorian Dr. Ebling Mis after a Season 1 cameo. Cherry Jones as Foundation Ambassador Quent and Brandon P. Bell as Han Pritcher round out the fresh blood, setting the stage for some juicy alliances and betrayals. The trailer hints at major character deaths and the shadowy Second Foundation, which could be humanity’s last hope—or its downfall.
A Rocky Road to the Stars
Getting Foundation Season 3 to screens wasn’t easy. Production kicked off in May 2023 but hit snags with the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, followed by budget woes in early 2024. Showrunner David S. Goyer scaled back his role, with Bill Bost steering the ship, though Goyer stays on as an executive producer. Filming wrapped in August 2024, and the VFX-heavy series has been in post-production to meet its mid-2025 debut. Good news? Apple TV+ already greenlit Season 4, with Ian Goldberg (Fear the Walking Dead) taking the showrunner reins, so the saga’s far from over.
Why Foundation Season 3 Matters
Foundation has cemented itself as Apple TV+’s sci-fi crown jewel, blending cerebral storytelling with jaw-dropping visuals. Season 3’s focus on The Mule’s unpredictable reign—disrupting Seldon’s psychohistorical predictions—promises to lean into the books’ themes of chaos versus order. The trailer’s glimpses of a fractured Empire, a religious Foundation, and a secret Second Foundation have us hooked.
You can catch up on Seasons 1 and 2 on Apple TV+ (subscription $9.99/month) before the July 11 premiere. With a stellar cast, a new big bad, and the fate of the galaxy at stake, Foundation Season 3 is shaping up to be must-watch TV. What did you think of the trailer? Sound off in the comments below!
