What does David Goyer’s exit mean for Foundation Season 4? Details explored 

Created by David S. Goyer and Josh Friedman, Foundation is a sci-fi drama series that is based on the stories by Isaac Asimov. Featuring Jared Harris, Lee Pace, Leah Harvey, and others, the show has released three seasons till now and premiered on Apple TV+ in 2021.

The show is set in a future where the galaxy is ruled by a trio of Emperor Cleon’s clones. One of them is Brother Day, another is Brother Dusk, and then there is Brother Dawn. This dynasty is administered by Lady Demerzel, who is also a humanoid robot. On the other hand, the show also focuses on Gaal Dornick, who won a mathematical contest that was devised by the mathematician and psychology professor Hari Seldon.

In the show, Gaal finds himself between the Cleon dynasty and Seldon’s schools. Seldon believes that the dynasty is about to fall and therefore, a “Foundation” has to be created to save the knowledge and inventions of humanity. The show revolves around the Cleon dynasty’s conflicts with the newfound Foundation.

While the show’s third season is currently airing, fans of the series can rejoice as it has been officially confirmed that Foundation has been renewed for a Season 4. However, Slash Film has noted that there is an absence of creator David Goyer. This could mean that as the show moves forward with a new season, budget, and creative team, it could change the tone and narrative.

More details about this story below.

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Foundation Season 4 release news

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Apple TV+ has renewed the sci-fi series for a fourth season as the show’s finale airs on September 12, 2025.

In a statement, co-showrunners and executive producers Ian Goldberg and David Kob stated that

“There is no series quite like Foundation, and we feel lucky and honored to be carrying the torch forward as co-showrunners into season four. We look forward to continuing the epic, emotional, storytelling that defined the first three seasons of the show, and to be working alongside some of the most talented, passionate creative partners in the business.”

Further, Matt Cherniss, head of programming at Apple TV+, mentioned the show being a “global phenomenon” and a “trailblazing sci-fi epic” that has garnered thousands of fans due to its “bold storytelling and collective artistry." Therefore, he stated that he wanted to keep exploring the story and the universe of Foundation.

While Apple has shown confidence in the vast and ambitious series, which has been one of the most expensive shows in recent times, and has given a green light for another season, Slash Film notes that there has been a marked absence of original creator David Goyer amidst the news of the new season.

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Details about David Goyer’s absence from Foundation Season 4

David S. Goyer is a veteran writer and producer and has worked with Christopher Nolan on the Batman movies, the Blade movies, and Netflix’s The Sandman series. He worked on Foundation as a co-creator, showrunner, director, and producer.

However, The Hollywood Reporter revealed in 2024 that Goyer is stepping back from being the showrunner during the third season of the series. According to the report, Goyer and the executives of the show’s production company, Skydance, had a disagreement over the budget of the third season of the show. This had also led to a break in the production of the series. Ultimately, the budget was brought down and Goyer was told to not direct further Season 3 episodes.

In a Q&A post on Goyer’s own website as reported via Slash Film, the writer noted

"I was the show runner for S3. I stepped back for some of the shooting at the back-end. And while I really enjoyed doing the podcasts with Jason, I just didn’t feel comfortable hosting them unless I had full authorship of the season. I’d estimate my contribution to be about 85% of the season — so most of the big moves. But there are definitely some creative or financial choices that were made that I would have steered away from."

According to Slash Film, Goyer also stated that he had not written any scripts for Season 4. He mentions that he had an “overall plan," but “I don’t believe the new team is adhering to any of those ideas.” Ian Goldberg was soon brought in as the new executive producer and showrunner, according to Deadline.

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What does David Goyer’s exit mean for Foundation?

David Goyer was the one who envisioned the whole show and was ambitious about bringing Asimov’s stories to the screen. He was the architect and had a deep understanding of the source material. Even though Foundation is quite complicated in certain aspects, with themes of psychohistory involved, Goyer made sure that these intricate theories were presented well on screen.

Goyer’s ambition to honor the original work had him present the most minute details about Asimov’s work on screen, which led to him having clashes with the producers over the budget of the show. As a sci-fi series, the show requires a huge budget and production companies often have to cut back. As the show moves forward with a new season, a new budget, and a creative team, it could very well lead to a change in the tone of the show and could also affect the narrative and the scale.

Industry analysts have noted that the new showrunner, Ian Goldberg, has a tendency to adopt radical shifts in tone and create more dramatic tropes, as seen on Fear the Walking Dead. Therefore, it remains to be seen if the new season of the sci-fi show will also adopt Goldberg’s vision of more drama and radical shifts.

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