The Fall of Empire Begins: Foundation Season 3 Preview

In new footage from season 3 of the popular Apple TV+ original, the new face of evil is revealed in the man known only as The Mule. The trailer kicks off with a nod to Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) and his predictions of galactic doom. “Centuries ago, when we predicted the fall of the galaxy, the Foundation was created to save humanity. But the coming darkness was always the turning point,” Seldon intones in a voiceover. Next, we see Gaal Dornick (Lou Llobell) with a more immediate concern. “We’re out of time,” she tells a room full of people, the camera zooming in on her face. Dornick is a series regular who has made steady gains in power and importance. This foreshadows the arrival of the new threat that The Mule represents.

Foundation season 3 trailer

In the books, Foundation famously takes great liberties with its source material. Isaac Asimov’s magnum opus was set over thousands of years and had hundreds of millions of characters, with the main body of the story divided into two distinct halves. Seasons 1 and 2 both ended with time jumps, with season 1 ending 138 years in the future and season 2 ending with the Second Crisis, an inflection point when both the Foundation and the rest of the galaxy seem to be headed toward war with the oppressive Galactic Empire. The Foundation as a whole took the radical step of weaponizing religion to expand its sphere of influence, and a colony of people with mental powers called the “Mentalics” was introduced.

Season 3, set 152 years after the Second Crisis of season 2, will continue into what was called the Third Crisis in Asimov’s work. In official materials, Apple TV+ says, “Long after the fledgling Foundation proved its worth to the galaxy, and the once-mighty Cleonic Dynasty is falling apart, the two rival powers have become one of the most entrenched and corrupt institutions the galaxy has ever seen. Threatened by enemies within and without, they are left with no choice but to form an uneasy alliance. For the galaxy’s survival hangs in the balance, and they now have a common enemy.” But it’s the new threat looming on the horizon, the Mule, which is an absolute wild card. He is at once a warlord with a private army and a menace with the power to control people’s minds. The trailer gives us just a hint of his abilities: several cities blowing up in slow motion and entire planets being devoured by fire. It’s a lot to take in.

“I am The Mule,” he says, and his power is apparent. “I can turn enemies into allies. Hate into love. I only have to nudge them a little.”

The Mule is played by Pilou Asbæk, a Danish actor who is best known for his work in Marvel’s new horror series Moon Knight and other popular TV shows like Borgen and The Night Manager.

The show has had three leads, with actors portraying different versions of the same characters through multiple timelines. Lee Pace, Cassian Bilton, and Terrence Mann will reprise their roles as the three clones Brother Day, Brother Dawn, and Brother Dusk, respectively. Jared Harris will reprise his role as Hari Seldon, while Lou Llobell will reprise her role as Gaal Dornick, and Laura Birn as the mysterious Eto Demerzel android.

Season 3 also sees a bevy of new actors joining the Foundation cast. Alexander Siddig is playing Dr. Ebling Mis, a Hari Seldon enthusiast and self-taught psychohistorian. Troy Kotsur will play Preem Palver, who is the ruler of a psychic planet and is the father of Gaal Dornick. Cherry Jones is the Foundation ambassador Quent, while Brandon P. Bell is the ambassador Han Pritcher. Synnøve Karlsen and Cody Fern play Bayta and Toran Mallow, a married couple, and Tómas Lemarquis is the character Magnifico Giganticus, a garish author and activist. Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing and Leo Bill are Song and Mayor Indbur, respectively.

Apple TV+‘s Foundation season 3 premieres on July 11, 2025, and will have a weekly release schedule for its episodes up to and including September 12, 2025.