The Big Picture

Franklin
showcases Benjamin Franklin’s little-known role in securing French support during the Revolutionary War.
The Apple TV+ miniseries features a talented team behind the scenes, including writers Kirk Ellis and Howard Korder as well as longtime television director Tim Van Patten.
Van Patten recounts that filming on location in France added authenticity to the show, making the setting itself feel like a character.

When you first hear the name Benjamin Franklin, you might not picture an especially surprising or intriguing subject. While most people associate the statesman and writer with his studies around electricity or his skill with the written word, few are more familiar with the efforts he made to secure French support during the Revolutionary War. Apple TV+’s Franklin, which represents the streamer’s latest addition to an already-impressive list of high-budget period dramas, seeks to shine more of a light on the true story of its titular subject’s (Michael Douglas) tenure as the U.S. ambassador to France, where he made critical strides in securing a valuable military ally in America’s battle for independence from England.

In terms of the talent behind Franklin, the parties involved with bringing this particular story to life on-screen have plenty of experience in shaping drama with a more historical bent. The miniseries’ writers, Kirk Ellis and Howard Korder, are likely best known for their work on titles like HBO’s John Adams as well as Boardwalk Empire. Behind the camera, however, is a television icon in his own right. Tim Van Patten, who has helmed episodes of such iconic shows as The Sopranos, Deadwood, The Wire, and Game of Thrones, boasts sole directing duties on Franklin, and the result is a clear aesthetic vision that carries through the miniseries’ eight episodes.

Ahead of Franklin’s premiere on Apple TV+, Collider had the opportunity to speak with Van Patten about his experience directing the show. Over the course of the interview, which you can read below, Van Patten discusses the biggest difference between episodic directing and getting to direct an entire show from start to finish, what was most beneficial about shooting on location in France, the value of working with Michael Douglas as a creative partner, the biggest difficulty during filming, and more.

Franklin (2024) Explores the story of one of the greatest gambles of Franklin’s career. At age 70, Franklin outmaneuvered British spies and French informers while engineering the Franco-American alliance of 1778.Release Date April 12, 2024 Seasons 1 Creator(s) Kirk Ellis Writers Kirk Ellis , Howard Korder

Tim Van Patten Wasn’t Looking to Make Another Historical Drama — Then ‘Franklin’ Came Along
Image via Apple TV+

COLLIDER: When did you first come to be involved with this project?

TIM VAN PATTEN: Well, I can tell you one thing, I wasn’t looking to do another historical drama. I don’t think I’ve shot a contemporary show in about 10 years, I’m guessing. But my dear friend and colleague, Richard Plepler, from HBO days, called me up and had me read Stacy Schiff’s wonderful book, A Great Improvisation, and told me that Michael Douglas was engaged, and I jumped in. Once again. [Laughs] I just couldn’t resist it. I especially couldn’t resist it because all I ever look for is an opportunity to world-build a piece of history I’ve never been to, to create a world I’ve never brought the audience to, so I had that opportunity with this show.

It feels like a rarity when a single director gets to helm an entire show like this. Even looking at your career, you direct more episodically. What did you enjoy most about getting to really help craft the show from start to finish, and how does it compare to directing more episodically?

PATTEN: It’s just a great advantage to be there from beginning to end for everybody, I think. As an itinerant director, it’s always hard to sort of parachute in and fall into the basic style of the show or something. So, this was a great pleasure because I got to build the world thoroughly. When you do a pilot you do it, but then to stay with it for eight hours and two-and-a-half years, it’s a much more satisfying experience creatively.

Tim Van Patten Reflects on Michael Douglas’ Leadership on the ‘Franklin’ Set
Image via Apple TV+

You mentioned before that Michael was already attached when you were brought in. I wanted to ask you about working with him because he’s not only number one on the call sheet, he’s also an executive producer. How involved was he, and was there anything that he brought to the table that changed your approach to making the show?

PATTEN: Well, Michael is an experienced and respected producer, and also a gentleman and a total professional, so he never really would overstep into the producing unless it was something that was creatively worthwhile. Whenever he did, I was all ears, and he was usually right. Some shows are just creatively wonderful experiences, and if you get the rare one that is both a great life experience and a creative experience, that’s a real winner.

Michael, because he had never done period, had some apprehension, he was just concerned, but the goal for me was to build such an authentic world and to surround him with the best department heads and keep the writers on their toes. He’s a great natural leader, and as number one on the call sheet, that makes a huge difference. He had real respect for the crew, and they felt the same way about him. The cast adored him, and he was in awe of the cast.

He says it’s one of the smoothest productions he’s ever been on in his career, and I agree. It was. It had its challenges. When you’re doing that six-month, seven-month shoot, it takes a lot of discipline, and Michael was never more than 50 feet away from the lens. He was always in the sun, and he always had his periodicals piled up on the table next to him, and he was just waiting to be called to set.

Tim Van Patten Describes France as a “Character” in ‘Franklin’
Image via Apple TV

The look of the show is so immersive. I don’t doubt that having Paris serve as the backdrop here had an impact on the visuals. How much did filming on location really benefit production?

PATTEN: We only had several standing sets. The rest was location. Audiences today are so sophisticated, and the expectations are so high, that you really have to build a world that, if you’re looking to offer a visceral experience, you have to be there. The same goes for the language. It was very, very important to us to have French spoken in the show. If the French are speaking to each other, it’s gotta be in French. I think that that does elevate the show in many ways. Also, for Michael, a consummate professional, great talent, and for all the talent, to step onto a set that feels alive.

The whole idea was not to make this feel like a dry history piece, a proscenium piece. It was really to feel interactive. The place was a character. So, we went to great lengths, and our production designer, Dan Weil, and our costume designer, Olivier Bériot, and makeup and hair, Alessandro Bertolazzi, this is where we landed. The makeup, the powder, the rouge, the rawness of it, the ill-fitting wigs at times, all give you a window into what the world actually felt like. They did a lot of research to really establish the social classes and cue the show up to the audience so that they could have a thoroughly immersive experience.

In terms of filming, were there ever any sequences that were particularly difficult to shoot — either because you wanted to get it exactly right or you had to make adjustments from something that was originally envisioned for the scene on the day?

PATTEN: It was a sheer pleasure, really, for all of us. I’m not kidding. I think one of the most challenging things was that we block-shot the locations, and the show takes place over years. So, for the cast, and sometimes for myself, you could land on a day at a location where it’s snowing, it’s sunny, it’s Episode 1 versus Episode 7 and 8 and 3, and the next day it’s Episode 2 and 5. So, we had to really pay close attention to the timeline and also the narrative, and more deeply where the characters were at in their interactions. That was challenging for everybody, but the cast was so great about it. They were really doing the homework, and I’m so thankful for that because it could get very overwhelming. We never really hit any bumps in the road.

And even though I don’t speak French at all — Noah actually ended up speaking French, Michael speaks French — for me, it was a great test. Of course, we had a bilingual script supervisor and a script, but it was a thrill for me to watch a performance and to see the physical truth of the scene. I’m always looking for fresh challenges, and a new period of time to be immersed in, and to learn something from it, to take the audience there.

Franklin is now streaming on Apple TV+ in the U.S., with new episodes released weekly every Friday.

Watch on Apple TV+