The Franchise is a comedy pilot for HBO that takes a humorous and satirical look at superhero franchises. According to Deadline, it has already secured its series regulars and two recurring cast members. The show provides a unique perspective on one of today’s most popular genres: superhero movies. The Franchise follows “a hopeful crew trapped inside the dysfunctional, nonsensical, joyous hellscape of franchise superhero movie making” as the cast and crew of a fictional franchise wonder if their jobs have any meaning," per the announcement. Sam Mendes is now working on the television series as his next project after finishing Empire of Light.
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The comedy pilot is gearing up to be bigger and better with a versatile cast of regulars and guest stars. The former group will include Hollywood stars Billy Magnussen, Jessica Hynes, Darren Goldstein, Lolly Adefope, and Isaac Powell, while the latter will consist of Daniel Brühl and Richard E. Grant, both veterans of the superhero industrial complex due to their respective roles in Captain America: Civil War and The Falcon And The Winter Soldier as Baron Helmut Zemo and a Loki variant respectively.
More details about the cast of The Franchise have been kept tightly under wraps, despite the recent report confirming some character names. As a result, we can only speculate as to who is playing what role. Whatever their parts may be, we do know that Magnussen will portray Adam, Hynes will play Steph, Goldstein has been cast as Pat, Adefope will play Dag, and Powell will play Peter. Brühl and Grant will portray Eric and Peter, respectively.
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Jon Brown and Keith Akushie wrote the script, and Armando Iannucci worked with them on the pilot story. In addition to serving as an executive producer, Iannucci will be joined by Sam Mendes, who is directing the pilot. Pippa Harris, Nicolas Brown, and Julie Pastor are also involved as producers.
Armando Iannucci has become a renowned figure in the world of political satire, masterfully expressing his witty yet brutally honest views on politics throughout several series. His BBC Four series The Thick of It provided Britons with a darkly humorous glimpse into the inner workings of their government. Things got even bigger after he brought his sharp vision and razor-sharp writing to Veep - working alongside Emmy Winning actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus to produce an uproarious hit lasting seven seasons on HBO.
Fans are excited about the potential of director Sam Mendes and writer/director Armando Iannucci collaborating on the next HBO comedy pilot. Both have enjoyed great success in their respective mediums. Mendes has directed blockbusters such as Skyfall and Spectre. While Iannucci’s work is more firmly rooted in comedy, Mendes has proven he can handle dark, satiric material with his Academy Award-winning movie American Beauty. It will be interesting to see how Mendes’ experience in blockbuster movie-making might influence the story behind The Franchise.
There is no information on when The Franchise will begin production.
