This New Comedy Is The Anti-Hero Of Superhero Films
Major franchise films and bombastic blockbusters have dominated the box office for years now, to the point that the studios making them have become like factories. That’s exactly what HBO’s new comedy series The Franchise is about- produced by The Thick of It and Veep creator Armando Iannucci, it follows the lives of a crew on the set of a superhero film and the lengths they go to get the perfect shot under studio pressure.
Starring Himesh Patel (Yesterday), Daniel Bruhl (Becoming Karl Lagerfeld), and Jessica Hynes (The Completely Made Up Adventures of Dick Turpin), it’s just released on streaming. Here’s all to know:
What is The Franchise about?
The show focuses on Daniel, the first assistant director on a major superhero movie that’s deep into production. “Tecto: Eye of the Storm” is a (fictional of course) entry into an ever-expanding cinematic universe- it’s not a head-scratcher to work out what high-profile movie series The Franchise is satirising. Tasked with a lot of admin work and not getting much appreciation for it, his job is to help keep the film on track, organising shoots and not letting everything fall apart. It’s not a job made much easier by the fact that he has to deal with studio demands, as well as the perfectionist director, Eric Bouchard who obsesses over every scene like an auteur, chopping and changing the script and forcing last-minute edits that clash with the “studio system”.
One of the producers of the film, Anita (Aya Cash) just so happens to be Daniel’s ex, and what’s more dreams of nothing else but being able to escape to work on more “arty” films more likely to win awards. Hynes plays the script supervisor, who is uncompromising on the director’s vision, no matter how impractical. Also in the mix lending a helping hand is Dag (Lolly Adefope), the third assistant director who’s not afraid to let her feelings known about the pretentiousness and absurdities that can accompany blockbuster filmmaking. Together, they have to try not to lose their call with the studio which is keen to get the film made and released for the money, but less interested creatively in this entry into the cinematic universe than the bigger project “Centurios 2”. And with tight deadlines and difficult actors (played by Billy Magnussen and Richard E. Grant, among others), there’s a lot on Daniel’s plate.
Who else stars, and where can I watch?
The biting satire also stars Darren Goldstein (Ozark), Isaac Powell (Past Lives), Ruaridh Mollica (Red Rose) and Alex Gaumond (Derry Girls), and is available to watch on NOW.
