A number of big TV and movie heavyweights have joined forces to create The Franchise, a new comedy series which is set to hit screens in the near future.
Created by The Thick of It and Veep creator Armando Iannucci, Skyfall and 1917 director Sam Mendes and Succession writer Jon Brown, The Franchise is a comedy series about a film crew trying to film a movie for a generic Hollywood superhero franchise.
Between those established names behind the scenes and a roster of well-known cast members in front of the camera (though still behind the camera in the show!), The Franchise promises to be one of the biggest series hitting screens in the near future.
So here's what you need to know about The Franchise including what it's about and who's in it.
The Franchise release date
The official release date for The Franchise is Sunday, October 6.
In the US you'll be able to watch it on the HBO channel on this date at 10 pm ET/PT, with several repeats on that channel as well as HBO Latino afterwards. New episodes will air weekly from then, and will stream on Max at the same time.
In the UK the show will release on Monday, October 21 with three episodes, before it follows the same schedule as in America. You can watch on Sky TV or Now TV.
The Franchise trailer
A teaser trailer for The Franchise was released which shows the tone and characters of the series. You can watch it below:
The Franchise plot
Only a vague overview of The Franchise has been released so far. It'll reportedly follow a crew trying to make a movie as part of a superhero franchise, and they're beset by all the pressures this could bring.
The series is set to be a satire, which is no surprise given the creators, so expect it to be similar to Succession, The Thick of It and Veep in tone.
The Franchise cast
The thing we know most about The Franchise is its cast, with the main actors and a few of the supporting ones already confirmed. Here's the primary roster:
- Billy Magnussen (No Time To Die, Game Night) as Adam
- Jessica Hynes (The Royle Family, Spaced) as Steph
- Darren Goldstein (Ozark, The Affair) as Pat
- Lolly Adefope (Ghosts, Shrill) as Dag
- Isaac Cole Powell (American Horror Story, Dear Evan Hansen) as Bryson
- Himash Patel (Yesterday, Tenet) as Daniel
- Aya Cash (The Boys, You're The Worst) as Anita
We don't know any more about these characters or their roles just yet.
In addition Richard E. Grant (Gosford Park, Withnail & I), Daniel Brühl (All Quiet on the Western Front, various Avengers shows and movies) and Ruaridh Mollica (Witness Number 3, Red Rose) will appear as recurring characters throughout the show.
