“If you care too much about this job, it will kill you.”
Sky and NOW have released the trailer for new eight-episode sitcom The Franchise, following a beleaguered film crew trying to make a superhero movie. Conditions are gruelling, and the actors – sorry, talent – aren’t any nicer.
The trailer focuses on Himesh Patel (Tenet) as Daniel, the first assistant director responsible for stopping production from going off the rails. To put it another way, “It’s my job to keep the actors from killing themselves.” This includes Peter (Richard E. Grant, Withnail and I) and growth-hormone-addled Adam (Billy Magnussen, The Many Saints of Newark).
Daniel also has to contend with director Eric (Daniel Brühl, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), who insists he’s “only done a sexism once”. Dag (Lolly Adefope, Ghosts) is down in the trenches with Daniel, and more on his side.
Rounding out the cast are Aya Cash (The Boys) as Anita, Jessica Hynes (Am I Being Unreasonable?) as Steph, Darren Goldstein (Ozark) as Pat and Isaac Powell (Past Lives) as Bryson. Let the chaos begin.
Among the executive producers are Sam Mendes and Armando Iannucci, with Jon Brown acting as showrunner. Brown also wrote the pilot, which Mendes directed.
The Franchise will debut on Sky on 21 October.
