THE FRANCHISE Trailer (2024) Aya Cash, Daniel Brühl, Himesh Patel

THE FRANCHISE Trailer (2024) Aya Cash, Daniel Brühl, Himesh Patel

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THE FRANCHISE Teaser (2024) Aya Cash, Daniel Brühl, Himesh Patel
© 2024 - HBO

"I just want this to be a good film..." "If you care too much about this job, it will kill you." Indeed. HBO has unveiled the official trailer for the comedy series The Franchise, arriving for streaming on Max later this week. The ridiculously funny comedy series shines a light on the secret chaos inside the world of superhero moviemaking, asking: how exactly does the cinematic sausage get made? With endless fights on set, of course! A team trapped inside the dysfunctional hell of creating franchise superhero movies, at the end of the day the question is: is this Hollywood's new dawn or cinema's last stand? Is this a dream factory or a chemical plant? This sounds hilarious and this looks way, way better than Judd Apatow's The Bubble. The series stars Himesh Patel as Daniel, Aya Cash as Anita, Jessica Hynes as Steph, Billy Magnussen as Adam, Lolly Adefope as Dag, Darren Goldstein as Pat, & Isaac Powell as Bryson. With Richard E. Grant as Peter and Daniel Brühl as Eric, the pretentious director of the movie. I'm enjoying all of these teasers and how much it really does make fun of Hollywood and the moviemaking process! It all looks nice on screen at the end, but on set it's a whole other story – and this is just a taste of that filmmaking mayhem.

Here's the main official trailer for Sam Mendes' series The Franchise, direct from HBO's YouTube:

The Franchise Series

The Franchise Series

You can rewatch the teaser trailer for HBO's The Franchise comedy series right here to view the first look.

The HBO Original comedy series The Franchise follows the crew of an unloved franchise movie fighting for their place in a savage and unruly cinematic universe. The hilarious comedy series shines a light on the secret chaos inside the world of superhero moviemaking, to ask the key question - how exactly does the cinematic sausage get made? Because every f*ck-up has an origin story. The Franchise is a series created by Armando Iannucci, Sam Mendes, and Jon Brown. It's also showrun by Jon Brown ("Babylon", "Fresh Meat", "Loaded", "Dead Pixels", "Avenue 5", "Succession"). And with writing by Keith Akushie and Marina Hyde. Featuring one episode directed by Sam Mendes; with other director credits not finalized yet. Made by Dundee Productions and Neal Street Productions. Executive produced by Armando Iannucci, Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Jon Brown, Marina Hyde, Keith Akushie, Nicolas Brown, and Julie Pastor. HBO debuts The Franchise series streaming on Max starting October 6th, 2024 this fall. Look good? Who's down for this?
Sky and NOW has released the official trailer for the comedy series THE FRANCHISE. The eight-episode season debuts Monday 21st October.

Logline: A hopeful crew finds themselves trapped inside the dysfunctional, nonsensical, joyous hellscape of franchise superhero moviemaking.

Cast: 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.

Credits: Executive producers are Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Nicolas Brown, and Julie Pastor 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.
Even though there is a bit of superhero fatigue in society, there’s no denying that superhero films are still a dominant force in Hollywood. Just look at “Deadpool & Wolverine” for proof. That said, there is plenty to mock about superhero filmmaking, and that’s exactly what you find in “The Franchise.”

READ MORE: Fall 2024 TV Preview: 40 Must-See Series To Watch

As seen in the trailer, “The Franchise” tells the story of a film crew attempting to make a superhero film. The comedy aims to showcase the ridiculousness that goes into superhero filmmaking, showing viewers examples of what actually goes on. Of course, much like shows such as “Veep,” it’s more of a satire than a docuseries.

The ensemble cast includes Himesh Patel, Aya Cash, Jessica Hynes, Billy Magnussen, Lolly Adefope, Darren Goldstein, Isaac Powell, Richard E. Grant, and Daniel Brühl. The series comes from the mind of Armando Iannucci, the man who brought us “Veep.” In addition, “The Franchise” pilot was directed by Sam Mendes and written by Jon Brown, who serves as showrunner.

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“The Franchise” is set to debut on HBO on October 6. You can watch the trailer below.

Here’s the synopsis:

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.
Armando IannucciHBOSam MendesThe Franchise
How delicious is the concept for The Franchise, HBO’s new series from Veep creator Armando Iannucci, Succession writer Jon Brown, and Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes? Well, first, take a second glance at that list of creators, and then consider that Warner Bros., the home of Superman and Batman (via DC Studios), is behind a biting comedy about the superhero movie business. Yet The Franchise isn’t here to besmirch the cinematic universes conjured by Marvel and DC, but rather delight in just how much crazier and less controlled the art and architecture of creating those universes really is.

The Franchise follows the crew of a major superhero movie franchise that is struggling to find a place within the rough-and-tumble world of comic-inspired film universes. Led by Himeseh Patel as Daniel, the first assistant director of the film whose job is “to keep the actors from killing themselves,” The Franchise will follow him and his fellow crewmembers as they try to keep their cinematic universe from falling out of orbit. Daniel works side-by-side with Daniel Brühl’s director, Eric, whose concerns are a little less on point than Daniel’s (the fact that someone else on set is wearing an “indoor scarf,” for example, which is obviously reserved solely for the director). Billy Magnussen co-stars as one of the franchise’s actors, Adam, alongside Richard E. Grant’s Peter, both of whose superhero shenanigans barely merit mention compared to what’s happening off-screen.

As The Franchise‘s logline puts it, the series aims to “shine a light on the secret chaos inside the world of superhero moviemaking, to ask the question — how exactly does the cinematic sausage get made?” Yet, as a profile the show on The Hollywood Reporter made clear, the series also highlights how hard the cast and crew work on these films and how much of themselves they pour into it. “The beating heart of the show has more to do with the ADs, PAs, the script supervisors, line producers and crew who actually make films and get no public praise for it,” Mendes told THR.

The cast also includes Aya Cash as Anita, Jessica Hynes as Steph, Lolly Adefope as Dag, Darren Goldstein as Pat, and Isaac Powell as Bryson. Check out the trailer below. The Franchise arrives on October 6.

For more on Warner Bros., Max, and more, check out these stories:

Batman Supervillains Bane & Deathstroke Getting Their Own Movie at DC Studios

Alan Tudyk Has Secret Role in James Gunn’s “Superman”

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” Production Designer Mark Scruton’s Masterful Marriage of Art & Architecture

Featured image: Lolly Adefope, Daniel Bruhl, Jessica Hynes, Himesh Patel, Aya Cash, Isaac Powell. The Franchise. Photograph by Colin Hutton/HBO
Though HBO’s latest comedy is called “The Franchise,” there’s never any doubt which franchise creator Jon Brown (“Succession,” “Veep”) has in mind. The beleaguered crew, stressed-out producers and insecure stars of “Tecto: Eye of the Storm” comprise a tiny fiefdom of a sprawling empire. Overseen by an invisible puppetmaster, the master narrative is a jumbled knot of continuity errors. Actors get yanked off the set for a day’s cameo elsewhere on the drab, generic backlot as plot holes demand. Directors and performers with prestigious résumés do time for a paycheck, getting praise for their visionary genius as their every contribution is overruled or ignored. If this IP abomination had a name, it’d be Blah-rvel Cinematic Universe. But of course, it doesn’t need one.

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A byproduct of the superhero era has been a slew of (barely) fictionalized laments about what the superhero era hath wrought. “The Boys” has expanded its namesake comic into a profane broadside against giant corporations and the “content” they churn out. (In Aya Cash, the Amazon drama shares a cast member with “The Franchise.”) Hollywood satires like “Hacks” and “The Other Two” have taken swipes at the state of blockbuster media. Even the MCU has gone full ouroboros, breaking the fourth wall with attempts at self-awareness, á la “Deadpool & Wolverine” and Disney+’s “She-Hulk: Attorney-at-Law.”

Popular on Variety
What “The Franchise” brings to the table, therefore, is not fresh insight into the problems that ail popular culture, but the well-honed cynicism of a comedy coaching tree. The half-hour series spews its bile with eloquence and conviction that provide their own momentum, at least to start. But ultimately, “The Franchise” is more of a (vociferous, amusing) reaction to the zeitgeist than an entity unto itself.

“The Franchise” is executive produced by Armando Iannucci, creator of “Veep” and “The Thick of It,” and the writing staff is stacked with alumni of his many projects, including Brown and “In the Loop” co-writer Tony Roche. The eight-episode season shows signs of some shared DNA with these predecessors: Its characters, like the previous works’ petty political functionaries, are hapless cogs in a rudderless institution. They can also swear a blue streak. “You flash-banged my eyeballs, you spineless fuckhead!” one screams after the series premiere culminates in an on-set accident.

The closest “The Franchise” has to a hero is Daniel (Himesh Patel). He’s the first assistant director — i.e., the person charged with running the set while the actual director, art-house hothead Eric (Daniel Brühl), picks fights over product placement. Flanked by his third AD, the cheerfully ineffectual Dag (Lolly Adefope), Daniel spends his days putting out fires and managing egos. The movie’s lead, American beefcake Adam (Billy Magnussen), has “Dorito’ed himself” — thick top, skinny bottom — with injectable sheep hormones; the villain, British theater veteran Peter (Richard E. Grant), insists on addressing his colleagues by their number on the call sheet. (He also claims to be “low-maintenance.”) The studio’s ever-present eyes and ears, Pat (Darren Goldstein), is a boor proud of his bad taste. When an aspiring artist name-drops Ingmar Bergman, Pat needs clarification: “Which one’s Berg Man? The ice cube guy?”

The fruit is low-hanging, but cathartic to snatch with such naked derision. Such are the pros and cons of “The Franchise”’s point of view, a caustic sneer blunted only by a palpable sense of exhaustion. “Nose clips on, let’s eat shit, amen” is Peter’s idea of a hype-up chant; when a minor hero, played by Nick Kroll, pops by for a guest appearance, he quickly assesses the gig as a “BFOGT: Big Fight Over Glowy Thing,” adding: “I’ve shot this scene three times in two years.”

This jaded attitude is bolstered by a sense of specificity. “The Franchise” is not just about superhero dominance writ large, but the particular late-imperial moment the machine finds itself stranded in post-“Avengers: Endgame,” with diminishing returns at the box office and increasingly onerous amounts of interconnected backstory. There are references to trimming an oversaturated release calendar, as Disney CEO Bob Iger has mandated, and car crashes en route home from night shoots, a horror story cited in the buildup to the trade union IATSE’s near-strike in 2021. A storyline about Katherine Waterston’s rare female protagonist facing an avalanche of online hate is especially poignant. “The Franchise” may not like what it sees, but its makers have clearly spent years observing the field, or more likely, being subjected to it.

However well-earned this pessimism — about the future of show business, about the possibility of making real art within an unyielding structure — may be, when sustained over four hours, it’s unrelentingly bleak. “The Franchise” never leaves its claustrophobic soundstage, and the lives the film crew lead beyond its walls are relegated to a handful of swiftly terminated phone calls. Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes, who executive produces and helms the pilot, strips away the Technicolor CGI to reveal a fluorescent-lit facility. What lively energy the shoot has comes from its workers’ constant output of adrenaline.

“The Franchise” could offset this oppressive mood by investing more in its characters. Overshadowed by the flashier personalities above the line, many of the lower-level contributors fade into the background, an unfortunate case of making a point a little too well. But even when the ground is laid for a more personal plot point, it’s seldom made the most of. We’re told Daniel shares a romantic past with his new boss, the producer played by Cash. There’s little shown of the resentment or rekindled sparks such a situation could facilitate; the ex-couple are simply too busy trying to steer their sinking ship. Unlike the bloated mess it’s mocking, “The Franchise” stays focused on the task at hand. That task just happens to be skewering its target, an end to which the human players are mostly just a means.

The first episode of “The Franchise” will premiere on HBO and Max on Oct. 6 at 10 p.m. ET, with remaining episodes airing weekly on Sundays.

Read More About:
The Franchise
The Franchise

Promotional poster
Genre
Comedy
Satire
Created by Jon Brown
Starring
Himesh Patel
Aya Cash
Jessica Hynes
Billy Magnussen
Lolly Adefope
Darren Goldstein
Isaac Powell
Richard E. Grant
Daniel Brühl
Music by
Trent Reznor
Atticus Ross
Country of origin
United States
United Kingdom
Original language English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 1
Production
Executive producers
Armando Iannucci
Sam Mendes
Pippa Harris
Jon Brown
Marina Hyde
Keith Akushie
Nicolas Brown
Julie Pastor
Cinematography Carl Herse
Production companies
Neal Street Productions
Dundee Productions
Original release
Network HBO
Release October 6, 2024 –
present
The Franchise is a 2024 satirical comedy television series created by Jon Brown, and executive produced by Brown, Armando Iannucci and Sam Mendes. The series premiered on October 6, 2024, on HBO.[1]

Premise
Depicts a "behind the scenes" look at a film that’s part of a larger superhero film franchise. The series follows the 1st AD, Daniel, as he deals with the day to day problems working on Tecto: Eye of the Storm, which is a minor film in the franchise compared to the higher priority "team-up" film, Centurios 2.

Cast
Main
Himesh Patel as Daniel (1st Assistant Director)
Aya Cash as Anita (Producer)
Jessica Hynes as Steph (Script Supervisor)
Billy Magnussen as Adam (Lead Actor portraying Tecto)
Lolly Adefope as Dag (3rd Assistant Director)
Darren Goldstein as Pat (Studio Rep)
Isaac Powell as Bryson (Personal Assistant to Shane, the head of the Franchise)
Richard E. Grant as Peter (Supporting Actor portraying Eye)
Daniel Brühl as Eric (Director)
Recurring
Justin Edwards as Rufus Maley
Ruaridh Mollica as Jax Cox
Urs Rechn as Horst Sommer
Alex Gaumond as Justin Barrett (Original Producer)
Episodes
No. Title [2] Directed by Written by [3] Original air date [2] U.S. viewers
(millions)
1 "Scene 31A: Tecto Meets Eye" Sam Mendes Jon Brown October 6, 2024 TBD
2 "Scene 36: The Invisible Jackhammer" TBA TBA October 13, 2024 TBD
3 "Scene 54: The Lilac Ghost" TBA Rachel Axler October 20, 2024 TBD
4 "Scene 83: Enter the Gurgler" TBA TBA October 27, 2024 TBD
Production
Development
It was announced in August 2022 that HBO had greenlit a pilot for the series from Armando Iannucci, who would write the pilot alongside Keith Akushie and Jon Brown, with Sam Mendes set to direct, who also conceived of the idea of the series.[4] In August 2023, it was ordered to series.[5]

Casting
In December 2022, Billy Magnussen, Jessica Hynes, Darren Goldstein, Lolly Adefope and Isaac Cole Powell were cast in main roles, with Richard E. Grant and Daniel Brühl set to recur.[6] In August 2023, Himesh Patel and Aya Cash were cast as series regulars.[5]

Filming
Production on the pilot was completed before July 14, 2023, with filming suspended until the conclusion of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.[5] Filming for the first season commenced on February 26, 2024, with a planned three month production.[7]

Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, The Franchise has an approval rating of 71% based on 21 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Teeming superb actors having a ball playing hapless hacks, The Franchise pulls some of its punches against Hollywood malaise but overall makes for a tart treat."[8] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 65 out of 100 based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[9]

References
Petski, Denise (September 9, 2024). "'The Franchise': Sam Mendes & Armando Iannucci's Comedy Series Gets Premiere Date & First Trailer". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
"Shows A-Z – franchise, the on hbo". The Futon Critic. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
"The Franchise". Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
White, Peter (August 8, 2022). "Sam Mendes & Armando Iannucci Set HBO Comedy Pilot The Franchise About Superhero Movie-Making". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
Petski, Denise (August 9, 2023). "Sam Mendes & Armando Iannucci's The Franchise Comedy Ordered To Series At HBO". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 9, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
White, Peter (December 16, 2022). "Sam Mendes & Armando Iannucci's HBO Pilot The Franchise Sets Cast Including Billy Magnussen, Jessica Hynes & Lolly Adefope". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
"Filming gets underway on HBO superhero satire The Franchise". The Knowledge. February 26, 2024. Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
"The Franchise: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
"The Franchise: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
External links
Official website
The Franchise at IMDb
vte
Armando Iannucci
vte
Sam Mendes
vte
HBO programming
Categories: 2024 American television series debuts2024 British television series debuts2020s American comedy television series2020s British comedy television seriesBritish English-language television showsHBO original programmingTelevision series about filmmakingTelevision series by All3MediaTelevision series by Home Box OfficeTelevision series created by Armando IannucciTelevision shows affected by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike
The Franchise is a comic take on the making of a superhero film from many who have seen it firsthand. Its three showrunners—Veep’s Gino Iannucci, Succession writer Jon Brown, and Skyfall director Sam Mendes—boast a collective wealth of blockbuster and comedy experience, ensuring an authentic, if chaotic, take on the making of a franchise film. The satirical series will unfold over the course of eight episodes, during which the completion of its fictional superhero film Tecto: Eye of the Storm will undoubtedly be in question.

The new series includes characters from many different aspects of film production. Station Eleven’s Himesh Patel plays Daniel Kumar, a first assistant director struggling to hold the project together. Aya Cash (The Boys) is Daniel’s ex-girlfriend and movie producer Anita, and Billy Magnussen plays the up-and-coming star of the film, Adam. The three will all have to compete with egotistical directors and the chaotic shooting schedule of a too-big-to-fail blockbuster.

Daniel Brühl in The Franchise & the MCU
Related
The Franchise Star Compares His MCU Experience To HBO’s Chaotic Superhero Movie Satire
EXCLUSIVE: Daniel Brühl addresses the differences between HBO's satirical comedy series The Franchise and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Screen Rant interviewed Himesh Patel, Aya Cash, and Coup! star Billy Magnussen about their work on The Franchise. The three discussed the personalities of their respective characters and praised the series’ sharp writing. They also spoke about their experience working with showrunners Sam Mendes and Jon Brown, and shared their thoughts about their other collaborators on the series.

Himesh Patel, Aya Cash & Billy Magnussen On The Quirks Of Their Characters In The Franchise
“There’s No Denying That Any Film Set Is An Absurd Place To Be”
the franchise key art
Screen Rant: Himesh, I started off as a set PA, so I look at Daniel as my guiding light. Even though the job has banged him up and tossed him around, he still has this glimmer of hope in him. Can you talk about balancing the comedy with the more serious aspects of the film industry portrayed in the series?

Himesh Patel: In terms of balancing it, the thing with the way that the show is written, and the tone of it, is that all we can do is play the truth of anyone's circumstances at any point. We just concentrate on the dialogue and the circumstances of what make it so absurd and hilarious. I think that's kind of what we're aiming for here. We're celebrating what the show is and what the people who make the show are, but there's no denying that any film set is an absurd place to be.

Aya, how does your character, Anita, navigate the challenges of her role given the sacrifices she's made to get that job?

Aya Cash: I think she's deeply ambitious, and this is the best opportunity for her to get where she's going. But she doesn't think she's landing here, and over the series, she starts to question that because of the people and because of the work that they've put in.

It's like she comes in with a little attitude, thinking it's below her, and then realizes like, "Oh no, maybe this is..." I'm a firm believer that art can be created anywhere, given the opportunity, and so she starts to see that there are real artists here who might have the potential to do something she's really passionate about as well. I think she sort of shifts over the season.

Billy, can you talk to me about bringing depth to Adam, who is a rising star and number one on the call sheet?

Billy Magnussen: I think everyone's complicated as a human. Every character that exists is complicated. Having brilliant writers, as we had on this show, it's kind of in the language as you go there. But I think, with my 20 years in the industry, it lives in every actor as they move through this process. The insecurity of being enough and showing up to every new project is like, "I'm going to try to create something here, and I'm insecure. I don't know what it's going to come out as." I think that's the artistic process for a lot of people in this industry. It stems from a place of insecurity and vulnerability.

It's a sacred space, honestly. Stage, film, television... When you're acting, it is a very sacred space where you have to be able to be vulnerable in and show your true colors, show what you're feeling, and the insecurity. I'm proud to say loudly that it's not as glitz and glamor as people think. It costs something for people over and over again.

Patel Discusses Working With Sam Mendes & Jon Brown
Brown & Mendes Were Key To Shaping The Tone Of The Show
sam-mendes-jon-brown the franchise
Himesh, Sam and Jon do such an incredible job of crafting this show. Can you talk about working with them as collaborators?

Himesh Patel: When we sat down for our first table read, [Jon] introduced himself and welcomed everyone—obviously, as the showrunner—and he said, "Yes, the show we're making is about the madness of doing this, and that people can be very spiky and kind of horrible to each other at times because that's the world of the comedy that we're creating. [But] I don't want that to be the tone of our set. I want us to lead with kindness." I thought that was really wonderful that he set that tone, and he followed through with that. He's a wonderful person. He's a very kind and gentle person, and I think he clearly leaves his spiky comebacks for the page, as far as I'm aware. He was a great person to have leading us through the whole show.

And Sam… what a privilege to work with him on the pilot. He's one of those leaders [where] you can tell why he's such a successful and brilliant director. Beyond his artistic vision, [you see] the way that he commands a set, and the way that he made sure that everyone knew what we were aiming for. Especially when it comes to something like the opening shot that's so technically complicated and technically complex. I think with any other director, it might've been quite difficult to land that one, but I think we all felt pretty secure.

Cash Reflects On How The Franchise Will Relate With Audiences
“People Will Appreciate How Insane It Is”
lolly-adefope-daniel-bruhl-jessica-hynes-himesh-patel-aya-cash-isaac-powell the franchise
In what ways do you think The Franchise will resonate with both movie industry insiders and the general audience?

Aya Cash: I think in movie industry, people are going to just love it because it's a celebration of all the people that we never see make the movies, and that's really exciting and fun. But ultimately, this is a workplace comedy. Our workplace is movies, and they always say the more specific you get, the more universal it is. I think we're creating this specific workplace, and people will appreciate how insane it is.

Magnussen Praises His Legendary Co-Star, Richard E. Grant
“I F***ing Love That Guy,” The Actor Gushes (And We All Agree)
richard-e-grant-katherine-waterston-billy-magnussen the franchise
Billy, you get to share the screen with Richard E. Grant. He's hilarious as Peter, and I love the dynamic. Can you talk to me about how Peter challenges Adam as the series progresses and their dynamic?

Billy Magnussen: Oh, I think it happens naturally on things with seasoned veterans. I've been in rooms with people that are, let's say, higher clout or whatever. They make you feel insecure, like you're not valuable enough. But the trust and love that Richard and I have together made it so easy to go like, "Oh, we're only poking fun at this."

My journey with Richard has been a delight—a treat. He's a teddy bear, and I f**king love that guy. I hope you can see that we hate each other on screen, but it's there. It's just a fun little playground to work with him.

The Franchise Stars On The Importance Of The Show’s Scripts
lolly-adefope-daniel-bruhl-jessica-hynes-aya-cash_0 the franchise
What did you each want to bring to your roles that went beyond the page?

Himesh Patel: In a sense, it's that element of humanity that I know that Jon wanted to be at the heart of this show. It wasn't just a cold satire about something—it's about the humanity of this crew of people who are trying to make something work. That was something that I was keen to do with Daniel because it's such an opportunity.

These are people who are so important to anything that gets made and filmed and shown to an audience. You could think of anything from a huge blockbuster to a soap that everyone enjoys every day. They've all got a first AD. They've all got a second and third AD. They've all got PAs, and so I wanted to make sure that we see these people as fully as possible. My responsibility is with my character, and I wanted to make sure that we brought those elements to him every step of the way.

Aya Cash: I was just thinking that's an interesting question because I think the page is everything, and what you see on the page is how you play the role. That's why we get so many different interpretations of a role—people just see different things in the page. I can't say there's something that I brought that wasn't on the page. It's stuff I saw in the page, and then you add in the little magical element of working with somebody. It just brings something in the moment that you don't expect, and then you react differently. That's the little extra element.

Billy Magnussen: Both their answers are fantastic, and I'm completely in accord with what they're saying. For me, with entertainment nowadays, the only thing I can hope that comes off the page through our performance and the chemistry that the ensemble has had is that people at home or wherever can share it with someone in their life. [I hope] they just talk about it with each other and just share a good time with each other. I miss that from entertainment; it was an event. It was always something you shared with people, family, friends, anything that you just sit down and laugh with each other. That's really what I want.

More About The Franchise Season 1

The Franchise is a Max original comedy television series that follows a film crew as they document their increasingly chaotic and hectic work on a Superhero film franchise. Acting as a satire on the industry, the show looks to lampoon the process and the sometimes unreasonable expectations of keeping a long-standing franchise alive and kicking.

Check out our other The Franchise interviews:

Lolly Adefope, Darren Goldstein, & Isaac Powell
Sam Mendes & Jon Brown
Jessica Hynes & Daniel Brühl
Cast & Crew on the Red Carpet
The Franchise premieres October 6 on HBO at 10pm ET and will be available to stream on Max.

Source: Screen Rant Plus

Official poster for The Franchise
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Comedy
The Franchise is a Max original comedy television series that follows a film crew as they document their increasingly chaotic and hectic work on a Superhero film franchise. Acting as a satire on the industry, the show looks to lampoon the process and the sometimes unreasonable expectations of keeping a long-standing franchise alive and kicking.

Cast
Billy Magnussen , Jessica Hynes , Darren Goldstein , Lolly Adefope , Isaac Powell , Daniel Brühl , Richard E. Grant
Release Date
October 6, 2024
Seasons
1
Network
HBO Max
Streaming Service(s)
Max
Writers
Jon Brown , Sam Mendes , Armando Iannucci
Directors
Sam Mendes
Showrunner
Jon Brown

Aya Cash has now gone from playing a twisted superhero (or rather, a closeted super-villain) in “The Boys” to taking on the satire of actually making superhero movies in Hollywood.

Cash appears in “Veep” creator Armando Iannucci‘s latest HBO series “The Franchise,” which follows a Hollywood crew as they try to revitalize the superhero genre. Sound familiar amid the rumblings of Marvel fatigue? Well, Warner Bros. Discovery (AKA parent company of DC) has never strayed away from making fun of itself…

The official logline for “The Franchise” reads: “The series 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 fuck-up has an origin story.”

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Alongside Cash, Himesh Patel, Jessica Hynes, Billy Magnussen, Lolly Adefope, Darren Goldstein, and Isaac Powell co-star.

Richard E. Grant and Daniel Brühl are billed as recurring guest stars.

Acclaimed filmmaker Sam Mendes executive produces the series, and directs the pilot episode. Jon Brown is the showrunner.

Iannucci executive produces for Dundee Productions, with Brown and Jim Kleverweis also EPing. Mendes, Pippa Harris, Nicolas Brown, and Julie Pastor are executive producers for Neal Street Productions.

Actor Magnussen previously told IndieWire that “The Franchise” is a full-on indictment of the craziness of Hollywood and actors’ egos.

“The gift was, I got to laugh at all this shit we do,” Magnussen said of the meta series. “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.”

He added of the star-studded cast, “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.”

As for Magnussen potentially continuing his status of WBD darling and reprising his “Many Saints of Newark” role, the actor said he “would love to” expand “The Sopranos” cinematic universe. However, outside of the latest “Wise Guy” documentary, there is no word yet on more HBO material for the series.

“Nothing that I have heard of,” Magnussen confirmed. Perhaps that franchise isn’t the one to watch…

“The Franchise” premieres October 6 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and will be available to stream on Max. Check out the teaser below.

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HBO has set Sunday, October 6 for the premiere of Sam Mendes and Armando Iannuccci’s comedy series The Franchise. The streamer also released the official teaser trailer which can be viewed above.

Created and executive produced by Jon Brown, 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.

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.

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In addition to Brown, The Franchise will be exec produced by Iannucci, via his Dundee Productions banner, and Mendes, via his All3Media-backed production company Neal Street Productions. Oscar-winner Mendes, who hatched the idea, directed the pilot. Pippa Harris, Nicolas Brown and Julie Pastor also executive produce for Neal Street.

The Franchise will debut at 10 p.m. October 6 on HBO and streaming on Max.

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