For the past 18 years, superheroes have dominated Hollywood storytelling, quickly becoming a pervasive genre, complete with singular tropes and themes. So ubiquitous and sometimes all too familiar, these clearly defined storytelling conventions make the superhero genre ripe fodder for satire. So, right on cue, from Armando Iannucci, a contemporary master of satire, the voice behind “Veep,” “In the Thick of It” and “Death of Stalin,” and Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes comes “The Franchise,” a half-hour comedy looking at the inside of the superhero factory-making machine.
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Himesh Patel (“Station Eleven”) and Aya Cash (“You’re The Worst”) star in the comedy, which follows the cast and crew of a superhero movie as they struggle to find their place in the dog-eat-dog world of franchise filmmaking.
Specifically, they’re the members of a film crew on an unloved franchise movie that fights for their place in a savage and unruly cinematic universe. The series will also feature Jessica Hynes, Billy Magnussen, Lolly Adefope, Darren Goldstein, Isaac Powell, Richard E. Grant, and Daniel Brühl.
Here’s the official synopsis:
THE FRANCHISE follows the crew of an unloved franchise movie fighting for their place in a savage and unruly cinematic universe. The comedy series shines a light on the secret chaos inside the world of superhero moviemaking, to ask the question — how exactly does the cinematic sausage get made? Because every f*ck-up has an origin story.
“The Franchise” premieres October 6 on HBO. Watch the first trailer below.