Foundation Season 2 Promises Fans A Naked Lee Pace, Assassins, & Hard-Hitting Action
When David S. Goyer landed the job of bringing the Isaac Asimov story of "Foundation" to the screen, he had the unenviable task of telling a compelling saga spanning a thousand years. Instead of keeping the story based on concepts and ideas, he created ways to make the story about characters, drawing the viewers in with engaging personalities and imaginative scenes. Goyer seems to be set to do it again with Season 2 — namely, including a violent fight scene involving a very naked Lee Pace.
In the scene, viewers are treated to a brutal scene involving multiple assassins charging into the bedroom while Brother Day (Pace) is in the middle of an intimate moment. What follows is a choreographed combative production where Pace dispatches them one by one while completely disrobed. The smirk Pace gives makes the scene even more engaging as he takes each one out. He seems to be enjoying it.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Pace talked about what it was like filming the scene. "I was pretty naked," Pace said. "You know, I don't mind being [naked]. It's a crowded set of people, so I'm not gonna be obnoxious about it. But also, I'm not gonna go through a whole thing of slipping on shorts between every take. I was definitely wearing something, but it's not a big deal. It's just a body. That's my feeling about it."
The fight shows Brother Day's true colors
Brother Day is the next in a long line of emperor clones set forth by Cleon I as a way to run the Galactic Empire for all time. Lee Pace's version of the Emporer is likable but somehow strikes a perfect balance between charm and a violent surge of anger. Pace told EW that he believes his nude fight scene gives a good peek into who Brother Day is at his core.
"He likes to be hit, and he likes to hit people," the "Guardians of the Galaxy" star said. "It was nice to be able to rehearse the moments where he's feeling confident and enjoying the fight so much. Then he gets hurt, and he's afraid for his life, but he's still got good fight in him. Then he has this unreasonable moment of, 'You can't touch me. I'm the baddest one.' And in that moment of hubris, the knife cuts his chest. So we tried to form a little mini-narrative inside of it. It was like being in a play. We did that fight front to back many times just so we felt as though we understood it before we filmed it."
Pace went on to say that the reaction to his nude fight scene is more about people enjoying the series and having fun with it than it is about him. He said he takes his job of entertaining others seriously and has a lot of fun doing it. He said he hopes viewers have fun with the scene and it is as enjoyable as it is meant to be.
Brother Day is an inspired addition by Goyer
In the books by Isaac Asimov, the Galactic Empire is ruled by many different empires across time, and most of them remain relatively faceless. Showrunner David S. Goyer elected to alter that aspect for the screen as a way of keeping the viewers anchored to specific characters. There are always three versions of clones on the throne at any given time: The Emporer, Brother Day, his predecessor, Brother Dusk (Terrence Mann), and his successor, Brother Dawn (Cassian Bilton). Goyer spoke with The Hollywood Reporter and explained his reasonings behind the idea he brought to the show.
"One of the aspects that I added was this idea of the genetic dynasty," Goyer stated. "I wanted there to be consistent faces, even if they're different characters. So, I came up with this idea that the Empire is a series of clones of one man that they keep recycling over and over again." He continued on to reveal that he believes the change gives even more insight into the Empire and its resistance to progress. "And since the Empire doesn't want to change, what's the cleanest expression of being resistant to change or wanting to impose your will across millennia? It's, 'What if I can be the same person over and over again?'"
Goyer has made a name for himself in the business as a writer/director/producer responsible for numerous superhero installments, including Wesley Snipes' tenure as the Daywalker, Blade, and Henry Cavill's debut as Superman in "Man of Steel." It isn't hard to see that he knows what he is doing, and Brother Day's creation is proof of his intuition.