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Roland Emmerich has been attached to direct an adaptation of Isaac Asimov's Foundation for some time now. If that's somehow news to you, I'm sure you're scratching your head and wondering "The man behind 2012 and The Day After Tomorrow adapting Foundation? That's like a movie version of I, Robot starring Will Smith! Oh. Wait." Then you sigh and walk away slowly.

Empire spoke with the Maestro of Destroying the World on Film about his plans for the film. What he has to say is discouraging and encouraging in equal measure. On one hand, he directly calls out I, Robot as the wrong way to tackle this property:

"I, Robot as a book was so much more than it was as a film and I think, because of that, fans were very disappointed. I don't want to repeat that disappointment; I want to give people exactly what the Foundation trilogy is. You have to tell a story that represents the books but also works as a film. That's the challenge."

Does this mean that Emmerich has no intention of turning Asimov's dense story of politics and civilization into an action series? Seems kind of odd for a man who ups the ante of destruction and mayhem with every film he makes. The Foundation series does deal directly with an intergalactic civil war and the falling of a massive empire, but it's all in the background, focusing on a specially created colony that was constructed to survive the chaos through an experimental process called psychohistory, which will predict the challenges they'd encounter. The seven book series follows the colony for a thousand years or so. There's definitely scope here, but it's not the kind of scope Emmerich is known for.

Switching gears from his middle-of-the-road comedies, director Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum, Cheaper By the Dozen) is taking on a sci-fi sports drama based on a short story by Richard Matheson. The film, Real Steel, takes place in a future world where human boxers have been replaced by realistic androids who are able to dish out more viscerally satisfying carnage on each other than humans can.

Hugh Jackman is the frontrunner for the lead role, and Levy shared a little about his character's place in the script, "It's faithful to the story in that that story was very much about a down-on-his-luck, slightly desperate journeyman who works in this robot boxing sport and who is desperately needing redemption and one last shot. The movie is more Rocky than Transformers." Levy wants to focus on the father/son relationship at the heart of the story over explosive CGI-driven robot battles.

It's that approach that caused producer Steven Spielberg to hand the project over to Levy, a director whose body of work doesn't even hint at being able to do dramatic science-fiction. Production on Real Steel should ramp up in 2010 with an eye toward a 2011 release date.

(via SciFi Wire)

It has been 59 years since the original publication of I, Robot, Isaac Asimov's collection of nine short stories about a future in which man lives along side robots. His stories have spawned a handful of stand-alone TV show episodes, popping up in sci-fi anthology shows like "Out of this World", "Out of the Unknown" and "The Outer Limits", though the most visible screen adaptation is obviously the big-budget blockbuster I, Robot, starring Will Smith as a police officer investigating a murder at the largest robotics manufacturer in the world.

While the film may have its flashy moments (I'd say thanks to Alex Proyas at the helm), it is largely regarded as being a terribly unfaithful adaptation of the ideas in Asimov's original series. The Three Laws of Robotics are there, and it has a few of the author's mainstay characters, but overall it lacked any meaningful connection to the original material. So if you thought Smith's I, Robot was a desecration of the original material, I'm very curious to know what you think about the estate of Isaac Asimov authorizing three new entries to the I, Robot pantheon.

Fantasy author Mickey Zucker Reichert (best known for his Renshai series of novels about Norse mythology) will be the man taking up writing duties. There's not a whole lot known about the specific plots, except that the first book will be called Robots and Chaos (which sounds like the TV Guide description for every other Syfy channel movie), robopsychologist Dr. Susan Calvin will once again be the main character, and that this time around things will be "a blend of sci-fi and medical thriller like Michael Crichton's Andromeda Strain" with Calvin "in a high-stakes, suspenseful chase to save society as we know it".

Ready to show your obedience to your own personal robot overlords? Or maybe you need something to wear to Comic-Con or that Big Bang Theory audition. Don't sweat it. HideYourArms has you covered. The T-shirt blog is celebrating Transformers 2's recent pummeling of international cinema with a look at 101 robot T-shirts. The list isn't extensive, it's mind blowing! With photos and links to online retailers, it's your one stop shop for nerdy urban street wear.

Check out five of my favorite robo tees from the list after the jump.

The Japanese are kicking America's ass at building giant robots based on awesome fictional characters. You've heard about their 60-foot Gundam in Odaiba. Now they're building a giant Tetusjin-28, a.k.a. Gigantor "the Space-Age Robot." (Word is he'll be built turning his pointy noise up at our giant robot-less shores.) So here's a question: When are America's nerds gonna get off the couch and build their own unnecessarily large but awe-inspiring tribute to R2-D2 or Optimus Prime?

I'm talking to you, extreme cosplayers, sci-fi obsessed techies and artists, and nerds willing to max out their credit cards at Home Depot. And especially you, Tom Rhodes, the California dude who made an 18-foot tall OG Bumblebee Transformer out of a Volkswagen Beetle. You've got the touch. You've got the power. Now let's make a giant frakkin' robot that puts Japan's to shame.

My favorite foul-mouthed, alcoholic Mexican robot is finally heading back to TV! Comedy Central and 20th Century Fox have ordered 26 new episodes of Futurama, set to premiere in the middle of 2010. Billy West, Katey Sagal and John DiMaggio have all signed on to return to the show to voice Fry, Leela and Señor Bender.

TV Squad's Danny Gallagher caught up with Sagal and DiMaggio recently to talk about the big news. Both actors credit Futurama's fan base for the show's return. Check out a few highlights from the interviews after the jump: