Apple TV’s Best Sci-Fi Show’s New Trailer Shows Game of Thrones Fav as New Villain

Foundation Season 3 promises the darkest chapter yet for the falling Galactic Empire, with Game of Thrones star Pilou Asbæk as an unexpected new threat to peace and order. The actor previously played the opportunistic pirate Euron Greyjoy, and his role here as The Mule will be similar — the new trailer released on Wednesday shows him leveraging a small advantage in a dire situation for his personal gain, though it’s unclear how the show will modify his abilities from the books. Many fans have been dying for this adaptation to get to this point, and it’s not far off now. Foundation Season 3 premieres on Friday, July 11th on Apple TV+.

Foundation is an adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s sci-fi novel series by the same name, which consisted of seven books. The show has taken its time with the material, as “The Mule” becomes an important central character towards the end of the second book. However, the show has also made a lot of changes to Asimov’s story and characters, and it’s hard to say what kind of ripple effects that might have on Season 3.

Fortunately, the show’s alterations have only seemed to help the story so far, and it looks like that will still be the case in Season 3. Lee Pace returns as perpetually cloned galactic Emperor Cleon, while Lou Llobell returns as the time-traveling psychohistorian Gaal Dornick. Jared Harris is back to play the creator of the Foundation, Hari Seldon, and Laura Birn as the emperor’s robotic handler, Demerzel.

[RELATED: Foundation Season 2’s Jared Harris on Whether Hari Seldon Is a Hero or Villain (Exclusive)]

According to Apple TV+, Foundation Season 3 picks up 152 years after the events of Season 2, at a time when The Foundation has risen in power and influence while the Empire is greatly diminished. There is plenty of space in between for chaos, which is where we find the warlord known as The Mule. His mysterious ability for mind control threatens peace everywhere, prompting the Empire and the Foundation to form an uneasy alliance.

This is a major shift from the original books, however, it’s fitting as the show has fleshed out the Empire and made it one of the most compelling parts of the story to follow. It’s also a smart way to capitalize on one of the most action-packed parts of Asimov’s story, though the show has found plenty of ways to keep the drama and suspense alive already.

Foundation Season 3 premieres on Friday, July 11th on Apple TV+. Previous seasons are streaming there now, and Asimov’s novels are available in print, digital, and audiobook formats.