I keep thinking that qualifications matter in Hollywood.  I want to think that things work like they way they did with Zack Snyder.  You adapt one popular graphic novel, do a great job with it, make lots of money, and then you get a crack at "Watchmen".  You earn it and you have to continually earn it.

But Hollywood is not a meritocracy and that's why Roland Emmerich, who is really the poster boy for bloated, mindless action films (it's not Michael Bay as much some folks would like it to be), gets to direct the adaptation of Isaac Asimov's "Foundation" trilogy.  The last time Hollywood carelessly tried to adapt Asimov, we got "I, Robot".   I forget…how did that work out?

For those who haven't read the book, here's how Variety summarizes it:

Originally published as a series of eight short stories in Astounding Magazine beginning in 1942, "Foundation" is a complex saga about humans who are scattered on planets throughout the galaxy, living under the rule of the Galactic Empire.  A psycho-historian who can scientifically read the future sees an imminent empire collapse, and sets to work preparing to save the knowledge of mankind.

What is it with Emmerich and end-of-the-world movies?  If the guy stopped thinking so large-scale for just a second, he may actually get some actual character development and worthwhile plot into his film as opposed to kids trying to out-run weather.