Foundation is on its third season, and it jumps over a century into the future as a new threat arrives in the form of The Mule, played by Pilou Asbæk (HBO’s Game of Thrones, Ghost in the Shell). The antagonist sets in motion his plans to rule the galaxy, thanks to his powers of manipulating people.

“A villain is only as good as how he’s written,” Asbæk tells Nerd Reactor. “In my case, I’ve done villains that are very well written, and I’ve done villains that are less well written, where you have to add a lot of elements. The case with the Mule, because it’s based on Foundation, which is by Asimov and the interpretation of David Goyer, who’s the showrunner – it’s in a collaboration, it’s a mixture of the vision of the showrunner, the directors, the cast members, the makeup department and etc. All these visions come together and they create the portrait of the Mule, and you’re just there to assist, honestly, and be a good friend, a good colleague and try to get the best possible material under the given circumstances.”

With the Mule being a new and dangerous player in town in Foundation Season 3, the Foundation and the Galactic Empire are on high alert. There’s a scene with Brother Dawn (Cassian Bilton) and the Mule, and it gets intense.

“At one point, I thought the scene was a bit like ‘We have to do something unexpected,'” Asbæk said. “So while Cassian was trying to negotiate with me, being off-screen and first day of working, I screamed so loud from the top of my lungs in Cassian’s close-up. And he just went like, ‘Who? What was that?’ And I just said, ‘It’s house cleaning.’ And he was like, ‘okay,’ and he continued acting, and I love that because it helps your friends create or do a moment of magic that they didn’t expect. It’s very much the Mule, like all of a sudden, do something totally unpredictable just for ***** and giggles.”

About Foundation Season 3

Set 152 years beyond the events of season two, The Foundation has established itself far beyond their humble beginnings, with a vast sphere of influence, while the Cleonic Dynasty’s Imperium has declined. As both of these galactic powers fight for Galactic dominance, a threat to the entire galaxy appears on Kalgan in the fearsome form of a Warlord — The Mule — whose sights are set on no less than ruling the galaxy by any means necessary, including a form of mind control of unparalleled reach: setting the stage for Hari Seldon, the creator of Psychohistory, and his protégé Gaal Dornick, as well as the Cleons and Demerzel, Empire’s power behind the throne, to play a deadly game of intergalactic chess, in which control of the galaxy’s future is increasingly unattainable, and it’s anyone’s guess who will win, who will lose, who will live and who will die.

The series stars Jared Harris as Hari Seldon, Lee Pace as Brother Day, Lou Llobell as Gaal Dornick, Laura Birn as Demerzel, Cassian Bilton as Brother Dawn, Terrence Mann as Brother Dusk, Rowena King as Kalle, Cherry Jones as Ambassador Quent, Brandon Bell as Han Pritcher, Synnøve Karlsen as Bayta Mallow, Cody Fern as Toran Mallow, Tómas Lemarquis as Magnifico, Alexander Siddig as Ebling Mis, Troy Kotsur as Preem Palver, and Pilou Asbæk as Warlord.

Based on the novels by Isaac Asimov, the series is created by executive producers David S. Goyer and Josh Friedman.

Foundation premieres on Apple TV+ on July 11, 2025.