HBO is going to tackle superhero fatigue.
The company has greenlit a half-hour comedy series, The Franchise, going behind-the-scenes of a fictional struggling superhero movie.
The official description: “The crew of an unloved franchise movie fight for their place in a savage and unruly cinematic universe. The Franchise 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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The series stars Himesh Patel (Yesterday) and Aya Cash (You’re the Worst) along with Jessica Hynes, Billy Magnussen, Lolly Adefope, Darren Goldstein, Isaac Powell, Richard E. Grant and Daniel Brühl.
The Franchise is from Sam Mendes (Skyfall) along with Armando Iannucci (Veep) and showunner Jon Brown (Succession, Veep).
“With a deft touch only he can bring, Sam has brilliantly captured the romance and the reality of filmmaking today,” said Amy Gravitt, executive vp of HBO Programming. “Jon is superb at sending up worlds we think we already know. Together, with Armando, they have delivered a truly hilarious comedy ensemble. I can’t wait to see more.”
(Work on the pilot was completed before the SAG-AFTRA strike began last month, and production on the series will not commence until the strikes have concluded.)
Executive producers are Mendes, Pippa Harris, Nicolas Brown and Julie Pastor for Neal Street Productions; Iannucci for Dundee Productions; Brown and Jim Kleverweis. The pilot was directed by Mendes and written by Brown, who serves as showrunner.
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