Latest news with #Cleons
Newsweek
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Foundation Season 3 Episode 2: Where to Watch, Release Date
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors The second episode of "Foundation" is upon us. In this article you'll find out where to watch it, as plus the all-important synopsis. If you've not been keeping up with Apple TV+'s lavishly produced sci-fi drama, it sees various space-age factions embroiled in a dicey game of intergalactic chess as they battle a powerful new enemy called The Mule. Set 152 years after the events of season two, the fate of the known universe rests on the shoulders of Hari Seldon, Gaal Dornick, the Cleons, and Demerzel. Lee Pace in Foundation Season 3 Lee Pace in Foundation Season 3 Apple TV+ Read on for key info on "Foundation" Season 3 episode 2, plus a recap of what's already happened in the show. Where to Watch Foundation Season 3 Episode 2 Episode 2 of "Foundation" Season 3 premieres on Apple TV+ on Friday, 18th July 2025. The episode is called "Shadows in the Math." As per the official synopsis: "Gaal and Hari advance their plans on Ignis. Empire grapples with an unforeseen prediction. Pritcher enlists help to investigate the Mule." Foundation Season 3 Release Date "Foundation" Season 3 released on Friday 11th July 2025. Episodes release weekly until the finale on 12th September. How Many Episodes in Foundation Season 3? "Foundation" Season 3 has ten episodes, each approximately one hour long. Foundation Season 3 Episode List New episodes of "Foundation" Season 3 release every Friday, starting on July 11th 2025 and concluding on 12th September 2025. Here is the full episode schedule for "Foundation" Season 3. Episode 1: Friday, July 11, 2025 Episode 2: Friday, July 18, 2025 Episode 3: Friday, July 25, 2025 Episode 4: Friday, August 1, 2025 Episode 5: Friday, August 8, 2025 Episode 6: Friday, August 15, 2025 Episode 7: Friday, August 22, 2025 Episode 8: Friday, August 29, 2025 Episode 9: Friday, September 5, 2025 Episode 10: Friday, September 12, 2025 Foundation Season 3 Synopsis Apple TV+'s official "Foundation" Season 3 synopsis reads: "The Foundation has become increasingly established far beyond its humble beginnings while the Cleonic Dynasty's Empire has dwindled." "As both of these galactic powers forge an uneasy alliance, a threat to the entire galaxy appears in the fearsome form of a warlord known as 'The Mule' whose sights are set on ruling the universe by use of physical and military force, as well as mind control." "It's anyone's guess who will win, who will lose, who will live, and who will die as Hari Seldon, Gaal Dornick, the Cleons, and Demerzel play a potentially deadly game of intergalactic chess." Foundation Season 3 Cast Pilou Asbæk ("Game of Thrones") joins an already glittering cast that also includes Lee Pace, Jared Harris, Leah Harvey, and Lou Llobell. Here's the full cast for "Foundation" Season 3. • Lee Pace as Brother Day • Jared Harris as Hariton "Hari" Seldon • Lou Llobell as Gaal Dornick • Leah Harvey as Salvor Hardin • Laura Birn as Demerzel • Terrence Mann as Brother Dusk • Cassian Bilton as Brother Dawn • Alexander Siddig as Dr. Ebling Mis • Troy Kotsur as Preem Palver • Pilou Asbæk as The Mule (taking over from Mikael Persbrandt) • Cherry Jones as Foundation Ambassador Quent • Synnøve Karlsen as Bayta Mallow • Cody Fern as Toran Mallow • Brandon P. Bell as Han Pritcher • Tómas Lemarquis as Magnifico Giganticus • Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing as Song • Leo Bill as Mayor Indbur What is Foundation? Based on the "Foundation" series of stories by Isaac Asimov, Apple TV+'s "Foundation" is an epic space saga that follows a pioneering institute that seeks to preserve humanity before its almighty collapse. Foundation TV Show Recap Watch below to see Apple TV+'s recap of "Foundation", helping you get up to speed on the show's dramatic events up until now.
Daily Mirror
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Foundation stars admit they had to 'up their game' for cast of season 3
Foundation season 3 is currently airing on Apple TV+ and sees the arrival of a new character played by Cherry Jones Terrence Mann, star of the Apple TV+ series Foundation, has dropped some exciting hints about working with new guest star Cherry Jones, known for her role as Nan Pierce in HBO's Succession. Jones joins the cast as Ambassador Quent in the third season of the sci-fi epic, which is based on Isaac Asimov's legendary novels and set tens of thousands of years into the future under the rule of Emperor Cleon. The Empire is managed by a trio of clones at different ages: Brother Dawn (played by Cassian Bilton), Brother Day (Lee Pace), and Brother Dusk (Mann), with the upcoming season seeing Day distancing himself from his counterparts, leaving diplomatic responsibilities to Dawn and Dusk. Their interactions with Quent are crucial, especially as she represents Hari Seldon's (Jared Harris) Foundation. Speaking to Express Online, Mann expressed his delight at reuniting with Jones, saying, "I've known Cherry for years," and recalling their excitement upon learning they'd be working together: "When I knew she was coming on board we were just excited, we called one another and went 'Oh my God, you're gonna be there!'", reports the Express. "Every time we've talked about her, she's the most authentic, brilliant actress of our age. "There's not a bit of artifice on her as a performer or as a person. She's the dearest person you'll ever be with, she gives 100 percent of herself when you're working with her. "And what a joy, she gets to be my love interest in this season!" Season three of Foundation presents a formidable challenge for the three Cleons as nearly the entire supporting cast has been replaced. While Harris is reprising his role as Hari, along with his protégée Gaal Dornick (Lou Llobell) and the clones' robot advisor Demerzel (Laura Birn), the third season introduces several new characters, most notably the mysterious warmonger known as the Mule (Pilou Asbæk). Foundation also welcomes Alexander Siddig, Troy Kotsur, Synnøve Karlsen, Cody Fern and Brandon P. Bell to its ranks. Mann's co-star Bilton chimed in: "To be honest with you, when we saw this new cast list we all turned each other and were like, 'We've got to up our game'. "Because you've got some real heavy-hitters coming in this season. I mean, Cherry Jones, who's like a Broadway icon and we all know her from Succession. "I remember she was nominated for an Emmy when we were all on set with her. And Pilou Asbæk, who I adored in Game of Thrones, is now playing the Mule this season. "Cody Fern, who's been brilliant in the Ryan Murphy universe, Synnøve Karlsen who, to my mind, is one of the great young British actresses. And a tonne of other new talent. "All of those performances bring an authenticity but also a new edge and a new vitality and urgency to the show. I certainly felt [a tonal shift] because it was something I felt reading the scripts." The actor said, "It is work but I'm also a fan and I watched this show and I binged it, it is so addictive, particularly this season because the tone has shifted to be much darker, much more urgent. Ultimately it has a sense of danger to it." Regardless of whether you're a returning viewer or new to the series, Foundation's third season is a must-watch for fans of science fiction.
Gizmodo
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
The Cleon Clones of ‘Foundation' on Getting to Cut Loose in Season 3
Foundation season three begins today, bringing viewers 152 years beyond season two. Empire is still in power, but its grasp on the galaxy has weakened considerably. As for the ruling Cleon clones, Brother Day (Lee Pace) has shrugged off his official duties in favor of a pleasure-filled lifestyle, leaving Brother Dawn (Cassian Bilton), who's on the brink of aging into Brother Day's throne, and Brother Dusk (Terrence Mann), who's facing his rapidly approaching permanent retirement, taking charge in his place. Amid all this personal turmoil, Empire's robot advisor, Demerzel (Laura Birn), informs the Cleons a bigger problem is at hand: while they've long been aware the fall of their reign is coming, that time is now much closer than they realized. Also, there's the small matter of a possible doomsday on the horizon, threatening not just Empire's long-held control on humanity, but the existence of humanity itself. At a press day ahead of Foundation's return, io9 talked to Bilton and Mann about what Brother Dawn and Brother Dusk are facing in the show's thrilling, high-stakes third season. Cheryl Eddy, io9: Season three brings out maybe the most distinctive Cleons we've met yet. As performers, how do you approach playing the different versions? Does it start from the same place and you build nuance from there? Terrence Mann: Cassian came upon this metaphor that is so apt, and it's so perfect, and I wish we'd have known it five years ago when we started. Cassian Bilton: I'm sure he's hyped this up too much now [laughs]. But [my approach to the] character is essentially [that] playing Cleon over an extended period, but coming each time back to play different iterations of him, is a bit like coming to a season and dipping a brush into the same paint pot, but using a different movement on the canvas and ending up with something different. You're ultimately working with the same raw material, but you're in a different circumstance. And really what we do as actors is trust that we have that knowledge of Cleon the First behind us, and then we just basically—it's our writers that really put us in circumstances that differ each season, and that's how these different expressions of Cleon the First come out. io9: Brother Dusk has a powerful arc in season three. He's facing the end, but he's not going down quietly. How would you describe his headspace as the season begins? Mann: I think you could literally take the template of King Lear, Act 1, Scene 1, and go all the way to Act 5, Scene 4. That seems to be his descent into madness. But it doesn't start out that way. It starts out with a very clear picture of what he wants the family to do and become, and then things just go awry. That's what I thought about when I was reading it. And by the way, you know, these were page-turners. All 10 episodes, when we got them, we were just like, 'Wow that's happening? That's happening?' That's kind of the beauty of what we're doing this season, certainly for Cassian and I, is that [our characters] start out hoping for something in the beginning, and that drastically changes by the end of episode 10. So we've got a big sandbox to play in, and we're bouncing all over the place doing that. Big time. io9: The idea that the clones are on this regular cycle of decanting and 'ascension' has been well established, but this is the first time we've really dug into the emotions around that. What was it like getting to explore that aspect of your character? Bilton: If I'm honest, I've sort of been waiting for this moment since I was cast. I think it's a very strange thing as an actor to watch other actors take on the later life of a character that you're playing. I think my position in the show has always been young, fragile naiveté. Dawn is very lonely and sadly introspective in season one, and I think he finds his feet a little bit more in season two. But I've kind of been sitting on the sidelines like, 'Coach, let me play!' when it comes to ruling the galaxy. And I feel like I managed to take a swing of the bat this season and hopefully be the kind of Dawn that we can conceivably, as an audience, believe could turn into Brother Day. io9: Did you feel like you were getting to cut loose more this time around? Bilton: 100%, 100% was able to cut loose for sure. I felt like, just to speak to it from an acting point of view, I was able to stretch and flex my muscles a little bit more as an actor. I was given so much opportunity by the writers to really jump in headfirst to this season and really help drive that story forward. And I'm really grateful to them for that chance because I had such a great time filming it. I think the scenes that I've shot with Terry and Lee [Pace] landed in a really interesting place because I think what's fascinating about the Cleons is—it's both seeing them as individuals and seeing this inflection point of, 'Well, how close can I get to the performance of this other actor?' io9: We don't get a ton of scenes with the three Cleons together in season three. But there's that one lighthearted moment you share in the throne room where you're all laughing together. Was that a special scene to film amid a season that's otherwise filled with a lot of darkness? Mann: That was art imitating life. That was really the three of us sitting out there because we hadn't worked together, I don't think, for a week or two or maybe even longer. And we've been really in disparate parts of studios and stuff. So to have that moment—and there's never been a moment like that in any of the other seasons—it was very special. Bilton: I think because Day has left [palace life] behind, they're able to sort of drop the front a bit. In that scene particularly, you see them all dropping the front. 'Okay, yes, we rule the galaxy, but yeah, we're kind of exhausted by it. Like, how are you doing? How are you feeling about this?' Really something that we've touched on a lot in our conversations about this season is the Cleons ultimately are very lonely people. They live in an environment where they only interact with different iterations of themselves or a humanoid robot; they're lacking in intimacy or a gentleness and closeness to other human beings in a huge way. I think that's why their relationship with Demerzel is so moving in the show, because she's the only person that shows them kindness. I'm so glad to hear that that scene [in the throne room] resonates, because I think it's a really pivotal point in the season. And it's the first time and the last time you see the three of them together before they go off on their own separate journeys of self-discovery. The first episode of Foundation season three is now streaming on Apple TV+. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Tom's Guide
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
I interviewed the cast of 'Foundation' season 3 — here's my 10 biggest takeaways for the upcoming season
By the time you're reading this the "Foundation" season 3 premiere might already be live on Apple TV Plus. Don't worry if you haven't seen it though, because this article will be spoiler-free. I was recently given the opportunity to interview the cast of the Apple TV Plus sci-fi epic, which is based on Isaac Asimov's acclaimed book series of the same name, so I've actually already seen most of the upcoming season. The good news? It's pretty good, and I've been told the finale should be spectacular. But in the meantime, here's what I learned from my conversations with the cast of "Foundation" — including stars Lee Pace, Jared Harris and Lou Llobell — about what you need to know going into the season. Here are my 10 biggest takeaways from those conversations. To make things easier, I've organized them by the actor (or actress) I discussed the topic with. By now, you've possibly heard that Pace's portrayal of the Cleonic Emperor, Brother Day, is a bit different this season. At the very least, you've probably seen the shirtless image of him at the top of the article. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. "We've had some very serious Cleons and I think it was about time to see a goofy one." So of course, I had to ask him about how you handle major changes to a character you're already so familiar with playing. 'I guess the biggest adjustment I had to make was that everything had to be different," Pace told me. "He's a character who is rejecting the position he holds. He's disillusioned. He doesn't care about the culture of the emperors. He's just a private person – he wants to mind his own business, which the emperors never do." This version of Brother Day also has no time for Demerzel, the ancient robot who watches over the empire from behind the throne. "He certainly doesn't want anything to do with the robot, who's all over him," Pace continued. Ultimately, he just wanted to enjoy the opportunity. "I wanted to have a good time with him, Pace said. "I wanted to play with him. We've had some very serious Cleons and I think it was about time to see a goofy one.' One character who's directly impacted by Pace's Day deciding he doesn't want to be Emperor is Brother Dawn, played by Cassian Bilton. So I asked him about what's different about his portrayal of Dawn this season, a character I described as quite easy to mold. 'I think that malleability comes as a consequence of youth, Bilton told me. "In season 1, [Dawn] has no idea who he is, and if he does have any idea, he doesn't like it. In season 2, you start to see a Dawn slowly learning who he is, and is developing a confidence. I think when you meet Dawn in season 3, he is crystal clear on who he is and crystal clear on his goals.' But just because our Dawn this season is self-assured doesn't mean this sci-fi drama will avoid ... well, the drama. 'At the same time," Bilton continued, "and this is a testament to our writers, a great thing to watch on television is someone being unbelievably clear about the plan and the plan going so fucking wrong.' It's not just Brother Dawn that's affected by Day's delinquency though. Brother Dusk, the third part of the Cleonic triumvirate, also feels the consequences of his younger brother's actions this season. 'At 100 years old, you die," Terrence Mann, who plays Dusk in the show, explained to me about his character. "You walk into the light and you're turned to ash. So we all know that's coming for all of us." "But my whole thrust for this season was to make sure that I got Dawn into a position so that he could take the middle throne because Lee's Day was gone," Mann continued. "So I had planned since the day [Dawn] was born to put things in place that would assure that he would be able to ascend the throne, but I've only got 14 days to do it now. So everything becomes desperate and urgent for Dusk, which makes him go and ask, 'Can I live just a little bit longer?'' Tying all the Cleons together, though, is Demerzel, the ancient robot who serves as mother, servant and at times lover to the various clones of Cleon I who rule the galaxy. So I had to ask Lara Birn, who plays the immaculate looking centuries-old robot, if she thinks her character actually loves her captors/charges. 'I truly think she loves them, she said. "But then again, she's programmed to love them. So how do we know if it's only her duty or if there's real [feelings]. But I think she feels genuine love for them. She raises them from babies. She's the only person they have and they're the only person she has. She's a very lonely character, as are they. "For example, she continued, "this season she makes a decision that's not so rational but she does it for [the Cleons] because she cares. But then again, can she explore love freely? No. She's programmed to do it. But I do believe in her love and I do believe they really mean something to each other. They're trapped together. Their love is destructive but I do believe it's love." If you watched "Foundation" season 2, you know that The Mule is the new villain of season 3. But we were still introduced to the character in season 2, and at that point, the character was played by Swedish actor Mikael Persbrandt. Now, though, Persbrandt has left "Foundation" and taking over The Mule is Danish actor Pilou Asbæk. When I asked him about taking over the role, he told me (mostly) tongue in cheek that there was some national pride fueling his performance this season. 'If you've worked a few years in this industry, you know that's how it is [taking over for another actor], he said with a smile on his face. "That said, I know Mikael Persbrandt. He's a Scandinavian brother of mine. He's from Sweden and I'm from Denmark. And us Scandinavians have always been fighting a little bit." "So on one hand," he contemplated, "I'm so thankful I'm stepping in the footstep of the giant Persbrandt. On the other hand, I can't wait to meet him and go, 'Well, you know what the Swedes do well? The Danes do better.'' After getting the fun question out of the way, I pressed Asbæk on the substance of playing The Mule. Some of that conversation I'm saving for a future article, as it pertains to a later episode in season 3, but I will share this bit about what he said about what draws him to playing The Mule. "For me, I personally love when I can find some vulnerability in the villains," he declared. "No one is born a villain; it's something you become. Life, she treats you shitty sometimes sadly enough, and I think that's the case with The Mule." Lou Llobell's Gaal Dornick is probably the most integral character in "Foundation." It's probably reductive (and definitely sacrilegious) to say this, but if there's a Luke Skywalker-like character in "Foundation," it's her. But if she's Luke, then arguably The Mule is Vader. No, there are no daddy issues to speak of between the two, but they're both representative of the possible paths two people with similar powers and backgrounds can take. 'I think she definitely sees similarities," Llobel said of her character and The Mule. "And I think that scares her even more. I think it shows her that she has to be careful with her abilities because it can turn dark and dangerous. They're certainly similar. They're kind of in parallel. But it's like dark and light. It's even the way they convince people and they use their powers. They do the same thing but very differently.' I've written about this already, but if there's one thing you need to know about season 3, it's that you need to put down the phone while watching. Otherwise, you'll miss Llobel and Academy Award winner Troy Kotsur acting using American Sign Language. "I learnt how to sign for the show," Llobel told me when I asked her what it was like to act with a deaf scene partner. "It was an amazing experience, Troy is incredible. It was such a different experience." "I think it's come out really brilliantly," she added about their scenes together. "They're some of my favorite scenes." At this point, you've probably put together that 'the big news of the season," as Jared Harris put it to me, is The Mule arriving as the show's new villain. And unlike Foundation or Empire, The Mule brings something to the table that Harris' Hari Seldon cannot account for. "The Mule largely invalidates psychohistory," Harris explained to me when I asked him about The Mule. "It's not effective if you have a predictive model [psychohistory] that's based on analyzing the behavior of large groups of people, if the behavior of the large groups of people is controlled by one person." So when I asked him how that affected his portrayal of Seldon this season, he was able to put it in succinct terms: "It's that gradual realization that the character [Hari] has lost control of the narrative.' 'The being considered as a godlike figure was a necessary stage in season 2, Harris explained to me when I asked him about Hari's godlike status in "Foundation." "I think at this point, he's [Hari] irritated by that, and he no longer wants that. He's expressing a desire to reconnect with his humanity.' When I then followed up that question by asking if the arrival of The Mule shakes the version of Hari that's in the vault to his core, Harris posited that it's the other version of Hari that shakes the character more. 'I think that what shook him more was the realization that he's been edited by corporeal Hari," Harris elaborated. "That this information has been denied to him deliberately, and that he's a puppet. He's a piece on a chessboard. He's not the puppetmaster, he's not the grandmaster chess player, he's just a piece on the chessboard. And for somebody with that level of ego, that's going to shatter your sense of self. That's what's going to create the existential crisis." In short, it's not The Mule that concerns Hari so much this season. "The Mule is actually sort of a recovery process for him, Harris explained, surprising me a bit, "because The Mule's ability only extends to humans, and he [Hari] doesn't have a body. He's probably the only entity that's immune to what The Mule can do.' If you're not already subscribed to Apple's streaming service, sign up now before the "Foundation" season 3 premiere. Right now, you can score Apple TV Plus for just $4.99 a month for two months from Prime Video. This deal is exclusive to Amazon Prime members and is only available when signing up through Prime Video subscriptions. It'll also be gone once Prime Day ends today (July 11), so act fast. 50% OFF! Right now is the perfect time to get Apple TV Plus. You get hit original shows like "Severance," "Ted Lasso," "Slow Horses" and (of course) "Foundation." You also get original movies like "Killers of the Flower Moon" and "Napoleon," with "F1: The Movie" coming later this year. This deal is only available for Prime members through Prime Video, though, and it ends once Prime Day is over. So act fast. DEAL ENDS JULY 11! If that deal doesn't speak to you, or you already have Apple TV Plus, make sure to check out all the other Prime Day streaming service deals right now and save some serious cash. Malcolm has been with Tom's Guide since 2022, and has been covering the latest in streaming shows and movies since 2023. He's not one to shy away from a hot take, including that "John Wick" is one of the four greatest films ever made. Here's what he's been watching lately:
