Apple TV+ announces new cast members for Foundation season 2

After impressing last year, Apple TV+’s Foundation may hit its stride in the forthcoming second season. Survivors from season 1 will return. The new season will also expand things with 10 new cast members, as announced by Apple in a press release.

Foundation, based on Isaac Asimov’s classic science fiction books, tells the tale of the titular Foundation, a community formed once it is determined that a powerful galactic empire is doomed to fall. Season 1 saw Harri Seldon (Jared Harris), the guy who figured out that doom was coming, set in motion a master plan that will have untold implications for millennia. He’s trying to preserve what he can of civilization, but is given to manipulating people for what he sees as the greater good. He’s also challenged by a triumvirate of clone emperors.

Other returning cast members include Lee Pace as Emperor Day, who’s performance in season 1 was a highlight. Terrence Mann and Cassian Bilton also return as Emperors Dusk and Dawn, Leah Harvey as Salvor Hadin, and Lou Llobell as Gaal Dornick. The new season will also feature Isabella Laughland, Kulvinder Ghir, Sandra Yi Sencindiver, Ella-Rae Smith, Dimitri Leonidas, Ben Daniels, Holt McCallany, Mikael Persbrandt, Rachel House, and Nimrat Kaur.

Meet the new characters in Foundation season 2

Isabella Laughland (Harry Potter, The Dark Crystal) will portray Brother Constant, “a cheerfully confident claric whose job is to evangelize the Church of the Galactic Spirit across the Outer Reach.” Apple describes the character as possessing courage and passion; they’re “hard not to love.”

British actor Kulvinder Ghir will also be portraying a “claric”: Poly Verisof, High Claric of the Church of the Galactic Spirit. Ghir is primarily known in the UK as a comedic actor, making him perfect for a character described as “a terrible drunk — intelligent enough to see the path he’s on, but too cynical to change.”

Ella-Rae Smith (The Witcher, Into The Badlands) will portray Queen Sareth of Cloud Dominion, a new location for the series. Apple says that Sareth is “used to being underestimated.” She is able to “charm…her way into the Imperial Palace with biting wit, all while on a secret quest for revenge.” Sandra Yi Sencindiver will join the show as consigliere to the Queen.

Olivier Award-nominated actor Ben Daniels (Rogue One, Jupiter’s Legacy) will get a meaty part as Bel Roise, the last great general of the Superliminal Fleet who seeks to conquer the Foundation. Roise’s allegiance to the Galactic Empire will wane throughout the season.

Swedish actor Mikael Persbrandt will be familiar to fans of The Hobbit trilogy, where he played Beorn. He also played Kjartan on The Last Kingdom. Here he plays the Warlord of Kalgan, “a monster of a man, coiled with muscle and possessing powerful psychic abilities and fueled by hate in his quest to take over the galaxy.”

There are also roles for Dimitri Leonidas as Hober Mallow, a master trader; Holt McCallany as Warden Jaegger Fount, the current Warden of Terminus; Rachel House as Tellem Bond, the mysterious leader of the Mentallics; and Nimrat Kaur as Yanna Seldon.

The second season of Foundation will come from the same team as the first, with David S. Goyer remaining showrunner and executive producer. Robyn Asimov, Alex Graves, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Bill Bost also serving as executive producers. The show will be produced for Apple by Skydance Television. There’s no release date yet set for the coming season.

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