Sumith Prasad
The filming of HBO’s half-hour comedy series ‘The Franchise’ will begin in the United Kingdom in the first quarter of 2024. The show, which offers a “wry look at superhero movie-making,” revolves around the “crew of an unloved franchise movie who fight for their place in a savage and unruly cinematic universe.” The show “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,” reads the logline.
The pilot of the series was filmed before the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. Even though a production schedule is decided, the filming of the show will only start after the conclusion of the actors’ strike. The specific locations of the series are yet to be announced. The United Kingdom has become an integral filming location for entertainment productions based in several countries. ‘Barbie,’ ‘The Witcher,’ ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,’ ‘Peaky Blinders,’ ‘Ted Lasso,’ ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,’ ‘House of the Dragon,’ ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,’ etc. are some of the popular projects filmed in the region.
Jon Brown, who wrote multiple episodes of acclaimed shows such as ‘Succession,’ ‘Veep,’ and ‘Misfits,’ penned the show and serves as the showrunner. Brown’s credits also include ‘Avenue 5,’ ‘Dead Pixels,’ ‘Loaded,’ ‘Fresh Meat,’ ‘Babylon,’ ‘Cuban Fury,’ etc.
Academy Award-winning Sam Mendes made his US television debut as a director by directing the pilot of the series. Mendes also executive produces the comedy show. His credits as a director include ‘American Beauty,’ for which he won the Academy Award for Best Director,’ Tom Hanks-starrer ‘Road to Perdition,’ Jake Gyllenhaal-starrer ‘Jarhead,’ Leonardo DiCaprio-starrer ‘Revolutionary Road,’ Daniel Craig’s ‘Skyfall’ and ‘Spectre,’ ‘1917,’ and ‘Empire of Light.’
Armando Iannucci, who is known for creating ‘Veep’ and ‘Avenue 5’ and directing ‘The Death of Stalin,’ also serves as an executive producer. Iannucci’s other popular credits include ‘In the Loop,’ ‘The Personal History of David Copperfield,’ ‘The Thick of It,’ ‘Time Trumpet,’ etc.
Himesh Patel (‘Yesterday,’ ‘Station Eleven,’ ‘Tenet,’ and ‘Don’t Look Up’) and Aya Cash (‘The Boys,’ ‘You’re the Worst,’ and ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’) headline the cast by playing Daniel and Anita respectively. The rest of the cast includes Jessica Hynes (‘Shaun of the Dead’) as Steph, Billy Magnussen (‘No Time to Die’ and ‘Game Night’) as Adam, Lolly Adefope (‘Ghosts’) as Dag, Darren Goldstein (‘Ozark’) as Pat, and Isaac Powell (‘American Horror Story’) as Bryson. Richard E. Grant (‘Loki’ and ‘Can You Ever Forgive Me?’) and Daniel Brühl (‘Rush’ and ‘Inglourious Basterds’) play Peter and Eric respectively.
“With a deft touch only he can bring, Sam has brilliantly captured the romance and the reality of filmmaking today. 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,” Amy Gravitt, EVP, HBO Programming, Head of HBO & Max Comedy, shared in a statement.
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