Armando Iannucci, the man behind iconic comedies like The Day Today and I’m Alan Partridge, has taken on a new project that left him bewildered. The Franchise is a TV show that chronicles the chaotic production of a mid-tier superhero movie. The show is so meta and realistic that it became an occupational hazard for Iannucci to accidentally stray into the action while sitting in front of the monitor. The only way to distinguish between the real crew and the pretend crew was by their lanyard colors.
The Franchise boasts an impressive cast, with Himesh Patel playing Daniel, the first assistant director who is described as “obsessed and exhausted.” He is joined by Lolly Adefope as Dag, the messy and annoying third assistant director. Together, they must wrangle actors like Richard E Grant’s obnoxious luvvie Peter and deal with director Eric (played by Daniel Brühl) and his devoted assistant Steph (Jessica Hynes).
The roots of The Franchise date back to a lunch date almost a decade ago between Iannucci and Sam Mendes. Mendes had been working on commercial franchises like James Bond films and discussed with Iannucci how strange it was for an Oscar-winning Shakespearean director to be involved in such projects. This conversation sparked the idea for The Franchise.
Initially developed by HBO in the US during Marvel’s imperial phase, Mendes and Iannucci decided to bring the project back to the UK due to slow progress during the pandemic. They recruited Jon Brown as showrunner along with writers Marina Hyde and Keith Akushie to create their own fake comic-book universe.
Finding an original superhero character proved challenging due to existing characters being overblown or already taken by Marvel or DC. Eventually, they created Tecto, played by Billy Magnussen, who falls through a fissure in Earth while working as a construction worker. Tecto gains earthquake-causing powers from his invisible jackhammer.
Despite its farcical tone, The Franchise reflects accurate details about making superhero films thanks to extensive research conducted by Brown. Real-life anecdotes from actors, directors, and crew members were incorporated into storylines.
The Franchise shares similarities with Succession in terms of workplace comedy set within corporate disaster zones where characters navigate hierarchies using glossed lingo. However, it adds another layer of irony through self-referentialism since actors like Patel and Adefope are playing characters who are themselves wrangling other actors on set.
Filming took place at Leavesden studios alongside other productions like House of The Dragon (a Game of Thrones prequel) and Harry Potter studio tour.
The Franchise embraces spin-off culture while also considering expanding its own universe within future seasons if successful.