HBO has released the first trailer for new Max TV series The Franchise ahead of its debut on the streaming platform on Sunday, October 6. While this show isn't based on any comic book you've ever read, it does take place in the world of superheroes...well, superhero movies.
According to the official logline, "The Franchise follows the crew of an unloved franchise movie fighting for their place in a savage and unruly cinematic universe."
"The comedy series shines a light on the secret chaos inside the world of superhero moviemaking, to ask the question — how exactly does the cinematic sausage get made? Because every f*ck-up has an origin story."
This is either going to be a fun take on how superhero movies are made or a lame attempt to poke fun at a genre that still dominates Hollywood (much to the continued chagrin of certain critics and Martin Scorsese). We'll see, but the trailer suggests we can expect at least some big laughs from the show.
The Franchise's cast includes Himesh Patel as Daniel, Aya Cash as Anita, Jessica Hynes as Steph, Billy Magnussen as Adam, Lolly Adefope as Dag, Darren Goldstein as Pat, and Isaac Powell as Bryson. Recurring guest stars include Richard E. Grant as Peter and Daniel Brühl as Eric.
Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Nicolas Brown, and Julie Pastor executive produce for Neal Street Productions; Armando Iannucci for Dundee Productions; Jon Brown, and Jim Kleverweis. The pilot was directed by Sam Mendes and written by Jon Brown, who serves as showrunner.
Talking to IndieWire about the show, Magnussen recently said, "The gift was, I got to laugh at all this shit we do. Like people with big egos being like, ‘Oh, they’re superstars.’ It’s a TV show about making a superhero movie, and it’s all just a bunch of morons running the show and you get to laugh."
Talking about his famous co-stars, the actor added, "The ensemble was everything. The community I worked with during that TV show was a gift that I couldn’t be more grateful for. It’s all about people, because a lot of this industry takes itself too seriously, and this show reminds me that you can have fun and laugh at yourself and that’s what we did."
Check out the trailer and poster for The Franchise below.