After helming several acclaimed films, Oscar winning British filmmaker Sam Mendes is all set to make his television series directorial debut with the HBO comedy pilot ‘The Franchise’. The idea for the show was also given by Sam Mendes himself. And the makers have now roped in the lead cast members for the show’s pilot.
HBO’s ‘The Franchise’ series has cast Billy Magnussen (Aladdin, No Time to Die), Jessica Hynes (Spaced), Darren Goldstein (Under the Banner of Heaven, Ozark), Lolly Adefope (Shrill, Ghosts), and Isaac Powell (Modern Love) as series regulars in the main roles. Moreover, the show would also feature Daniel Brühl (Rush, Inglorious Bastards), and Richard E. Grant (Game of Thrones, Loki) in recurring guest roles.
HBO’s ‘The Franchise’ will be set against the backdrop of the making of a superhero movie. The show will revolve around the movie’s production crew shown to be trapped inside the dysfunctional, nonsensical, joyous hellscape of franchise superhero filmmaking. If and when they finally make the day, the question they must face — is this Hollywood’s new dawn or cinema’s last stand? Is this a dream factory or a chemical plant?
And the Primetime Emmy winner Jon Brown, who had written and produced HBO’s widely acclaimed dark comedy series ‘Succession’, has penned the pilot episode of ‘The Franchise’. He will also serve as the showrunner.
Talking about the show’s underlying ‘meta’ concept, earlier this year, there was a Netflix meta-comedy film ‘The Bubble’ which followed the cast and crew of a blockbuster dinosaur-themed film franchise and how they attempted to complete the film. However, that film didn’t exactly click with the audiences.
With HBO series ‘The Franchise’, the case is different because the man behind the camera is Sam Mendes, whose directorial filmography comprises films such as ‘American Beauty’ (1999), ‘Road to Perdition’ (2002), ‘Skyfall’ (2012), ‘Spectre’ (2015), and ‘1917’ (2017). Although his most recent film – the romantic drama ‘Empire of Light’ has received mixed reviews from critics. Nevertheless, we are hopeful that Sam Mendes will come back with a bang with the HBO comedy show ‘The Franchise’.
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