Roland Emmerich, the man behind Stargate, Godzilla (the crappy U.S. version), Independence Day, last year's 10,000 B.C. and much, much more will be directing film versions of Isaac Asimov's Foundation trilogy, Variety is reporting. A beloved and highly influential series set in the far-future, Asimov's series is driven by complex ideas of the kind Emmerich—whose Columbia-backed bid trumped offers by Sony and an Alex Proyas-attached bid from Warner Bros.—has proven himself completely unwilling or unable to bring to the screen.

Of course, it could be fantastic. Who knows?