HBO has a full season of the superhero satireThe franchising” ordered, after the pilot apparently convinced those responsible at the “Game Of Thrones” broadcaster. Unlike “The Boys” it is not primarily the superheroines and supervillains themselves that are ridiculed here, but rather the filming of films à la Marvel and DC and the creation of cinematic universes such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) or the new DC Universe (DCU).
The official synopsis of “The Franchise” reads as follows: The crew of an unloved franchise film fights for their place in a wild and unstoppable movie universe. The series sheds light on the hidden chaos in the world of superhero movies and answers the question of what goes on behind the scenes. Because every flop has its origin story. (translation of MOVIE BEGINS)
Oscar winners, comedy geniuses and MCU stars
Not only the involvement of ‘Game Of Thrones’ broadcaster HBO is already an indication that we do not expect a cheap superhero parody à la ‘Superhero Movie’, the crew behind the camera and the cast in front of the camera also make you sit up and notice:
They are behind “The Franchise”. the producers Armando Ianucciresponsible for some of the best comedy series in recent years with ‘Veep’ and ‘The Thick Of It’, And Jon Brown, who collaborates with Ianucci on ‘Veep’ and ‘Avenue 5’ and also co-wrote the HBO hit ‘Succession’. Jon Brown will also serve as showrunner overseeing the project and writing the pilot episode.
The pilot episode was directed by none other than Sam Mendes, who won an Oscar for Best Director for “American Beauty” and was recently nominated for three Academy Awards for his outstanding war film “1917.” As director of the first episode, Mendes has the important task of defining the series’ visual and directorial style. It is certainly also possible that he will take the director’s chair for further episodes.
The series cast includes Himesh Patel (“Yesterday”), Jessica Hynes (“Shaun Of The Dead”), Billy Magnussen (“Aladdin”), Lolly Adefope (“Ghosts”), Darren Goldstein (“Ozark”) and Isaac Powell (“American Horror Story”).
The cast of provides a special touch Ay cash, Richard E Grant like Daniel Bruhl. Because Cash was in the superhero satire mentioned at the beginning”the boys‘ as Nazi superheroine Stormfront, while Grant (as classic Loki from ‘Loki’) and Brühl (as Zemo from ‘The Falcon And The Winter Soldier’, among others) have even played roles in the MCU, so these – at least in part – parodied become.
2024 at Sky/WOW?
Shooting for The Franchise will begin once the current Hollywood strikes are over. Depending on how long that takes, the comedy series could appear on HBO sometime in 2024 or possibly as late as 2025. In Germany, HBO series can usually be seen on Sky and its streaming service WOW.