The Franchise Is Finally Here: What Is It About & Is It Even Worth-Watching?
The topic seems too superficial so far, but the project still has time to gain momentum.
Himesh Patel hasn't been idle for long after the unsuccessful sci-fi comedy Avenue 5. The actor is back with a new satirical project – this time poking fun at Hollywood and the decline of the superhero genre.
Patel has teamed up with showrunner Jon Brown, writer Armando Iannucci and director Sam Mendes for The Franchise.
What Is The Franchise About?
The pilot of the series takes viewers to the set of the next installment of a superhero movie being made by a major film studio.
The main characters include the director, assistant director, producers, actors and other members of the film crew. The camera is very mobile: it has to keep up with the chaos in which the filmmakers work.
The work process is interrupted by an important person from the movie studio, whom everyone fears: he asks for more light, so that the movie will not be too dark. This is a reference to real complaints from viewers of some recent Marvel and DC comic book movies.
The series will tell about the tedious and protracted shooting: chaos reigns on the set, some actors refuse to act against the background of a green screen, others demand to explain the motivation of their character – the matter is not helped by infantile producers who think only about income.
The Franchise's Main Idea Doesn't Seem Too Fresh So Far
Disillusionment with the "dream factory," deconstruction of the modern film industry, and satire of clichéd superhero franchises have been popular topics in the last decade.
The Boys, for example, shows how real superheroes, most of them immoral and dangerous, endlessly exploit their image for money. The creators of The Boys mocked both the boring sequels and the fact that today's mass cinema has only one goal – to make as much money as possible.
Now the problems of the film industry are clear even without The Franchise. Will the creators – director Sam Mendes, who, according to rumors, turned down Marvel's offer to direct The Avengers in 2012, showrunner Jon Brown and Armando Iannucci – be able to not only laugh at what is already on the surface, but give the viewer something different, we will find out in the next episodes.
Where to Watch The Franchise?
The Franchise is streaming on Max.