Filmmaker Sam Mendes (“1917,” “Empire of Light”) is about to make his U.S. television directing debut with a new comedy series at HBO called “The Franchise.” It will see Mendes team up with comedy writer/director Armando Iannucci (“Avenue 5,” “In The Loop”), likely best known to American audiences for the political comedy series “Veep” and the hilarious Soviet-era satire “The Death of Stalin.” One of the more curious projects on the horizon, “The Franchise,” focuses on the world of Hollywood and the making of superhero movie franchises, which is undoubtedly ripe for parody. This a subject that has sort of already, to a lesser extent, tackled by the mature/satirical Amazon series “The Boys.”
The show’s pilot episode has assembled an exciting collection of actors as Deadline reports that Billy Magnussen (“Game Night,” “No To Time To Die”), Jessica Hynes (“Spaced,” “Doctor Who”), Darren Goldstein, Lolly Adefope, and Isaac Powell have taken roles that will see them as series regulars. Interestingly enough, they’ve also added Marvel actors Daniel Brühl (“Captain America: Civil War”) and Richard E. Grant (“Logan,” “Loki”) as recurring guest stars, too, a bit cheeky given the subject matter.
READ MORE: ‘Spectre’: Sam Mendes Blames The Quick Turnaround Time & “Pressure” After ‘Skyfall’ For The Poor Reception Of His Bond Sequel
Here is the pilot’s logline via Deadline:
It follows a hopeful crew trapped inside the dysfunctional, nonsensical, joyous hellscape of franchise superhero moviemaking. If and when they finally make the day, there’s a question they must face: Is this Hollywood’s new dawn or cinema’s last stand? Is this a dream factory or a chemical plant?
Jon Brown wrote the pilot and will act as the showrunner.
Given the high-profile nature of the pilot, there is a very good shot that the project ultimately lands a series order from HBO. Mendes is notably busy at the moment and also directed the current Olivia Colman pic, “Empire of Light,” which premiered at the Telluride Film Festival earlier this year. It’ll be interesting to see if Mendes will pull directly from his experiences working with massive studio franchises after helming two James Bond installments, “Skyfall” and “Spectre.”