2023 Rewind: Out Actor Lee Pace Shows Off His Moves in Naked Fight Scene From 'Foundation' Season 2

This piece is part of EDGE's 2023 Rewind series. We're reaching into our archives and sharing some of our favorite stories from the past year.

Ripped out actor Lee Pace shows off his honed physique and combat moves in a naked fight scene clip from the upcoming second season of the sci-fi epic "Foundation."

The clip, which dropped July 10, showcases about two minutes of intense action from the Apple TV+ drama, which is based on the series of novels by genre great Isaac Asimov.

Pace plays Brother Day, a clone of Emperor Cleon who is so named because he is in the prime of his life. Tall, fit, and confident, Day is in the midst of a tryst with his advisor, Lady Demrezel (Laura Birn), when a trio of assassins burst into his bedchamber. Lady Demrezel suffers an injury that would kill a human being; she is an android, but a killer's sword seems to put her out of commission. Day, leaping from the bed, joins the fight without hesitation... or any stitch of clothing.

As the action unfolds, the scene's choreography, blocking, and lighting keep Pace's tall, trim form tastefully obscured, though there are plenty of tantalizing glimpses of his perfectly sculpted physique. Equally attractive is the grin he wears as he handily bests one, then another would-be killer with his hand-to-hand combat skills, despite being wounded by a futuristic weapon in the course of the battle.

Things take a perilous turn when the third assassin manages to cut a gash across the emperor's well-defined chest and a pool of blood causes Day to lose his footing. Crawling across the darkened chamber, with sunlight splashing across his form, Day is about to be murdered by the ruthless assassin when an unexpected twist brings the clip to a suspenseful close.

"Sneak peeks rarely show this much," the video's caption cheekily declares, and the clip lives up to its promise.

Set tens of thousands of years in the far future, "Foundation" is the story of a mathematical genius, Hari Seldon (Jared Harris), and his quest to find a workaround that will allow humanity to escape historical cycles of high civilization and societal collapse. His "Foundation" is a colony of scientists dedicated to keeping the light of reason and knowledge alive despite the coming dark ages. Set across centuries, the galaxy-spanning tale pits the forces of entrenched power – Empire – against the bulwark of truth and progress the Foundation has been designed to be... assuming that the Foundation itself can avoid the perils of corruption over time.

"Foundation" returns for Season 2 on Apple TV+ on July 14. Watch the new clip below.