The Franchise on Max parodies the behind-the-scenes world of superhero movies — but even while parodying and critiquing the genre's flaws and missteps, the show's team respects what the industry does right, too.
Starring the likes of Himesh Patel, Aya Cash, and Billy Magnussen, The Franchise's first season is set to have eight episodes, and will finish airing weekly on Nov. 24.
It tells the story of the creation of a seemingly doomed superhero movie, focusing especially on the unsung heroes of the industry and on satirizing the popular genre.
The Franchise Cast on Superhero Movies: The Good and the Bad
Speaking with The Direct and others at a New York Comic Con roundtable, the cast of The Franchise discussed the strengths and weaknesses of the superhero movie industry they both parody in the show, and occasionally really participate in.
Daniel Brühl (Eric) said that while he feels superhero movies need to "think outside the box more often:"
"Think outside the box more often, and don't be too formulaic."
Still, he said audiences "shouldn't underestimate the power of the message" superhero movies often have. The actor, who also plays Zemo in the MCU, specifically shouted out "the new Captain America" as an example of "a good message" that he admires:
"It's such influential pop culture, and you shouldn't underestimate the power of the message, if it's a good message. Think of the new 'Captain America,' you know?"
Aya Cash (Anita) discussed something similar, saying that the strength of the superhero genre is how it "can actually tell the stories of our time the most honestly."
She explained that when a story with social or political messaging is presented through a science-fiction world, people "don't take it as personally, and we can actually see the truth better:"
"It depersonalizes our time, so you can actually tell the stories of our time the most honestly, and that's what I'm attracted to. Like, I think it's, you know, if you use real people or a certain political figure, then all of a sudden it becomes, everybody's got an opinion. But if you can actually just talk about what's happening in our culture and in our politics in a way that is with powers or with, you know, sci-fi aliens, like we don't take it as personally, and we can actually see the truth better. "
Cash warned, though, that "things fall apart" in a superhero movie "when they don't empower, like, strong creative vision."
She explained that people need to "have a little stamina" when riskier superhero movies "fail big," because otherwise the genre becomes "the same thing over and over again" — a critique similar to Brühl's:
"When they don't empower, like, strong creative vision is when things fall apart. And like even the movies that fail big — and I think we can all think of some that fail big, that have had an artistic vision — I would rather watch that, because they also have the potential to be the most incredible thing. So, like, you gotta have a little stamina for the boom bust of that, because if you just put out the same thing over and over again, that's boring, then people really sort of start to sour."
Further, Billy Magnussen (Adam) asserted that superhero movies need to "use the artists out there that actually are talented," rather than "throw[ing] money at" something simply because it is recognizable:
"Don't throw money at it. Just take the time. Use the artists out there that actually are talented. Don't just throw money at it just because of a name."
Still, he a admires "the community" the superhero genre "draws in," saying "that's what I think all art is about:"
"The strongest element is, I would say, the community that it draws in. It's the people — it's the fans — that love this world, that's the strongest element. It's the community ... that they're creating, like, that's what I think all art is about. It's, like, sharing it with people and celebrating it."
Behind-The-Scenes of Behind-The Scenes on The Franchise
The cast and writers of The Franchise also spoke about the meta elements of creating their show during the New York Comic Con Roundtable.
Creator Jon Brown talked about how he spoke to many people who work on real franchise movies "off the record," and "sometimes they were funny, and sometimes you're like, 'fucking hell:"
"We spoke to lots of directors, writers, producers that are still ... working in these movies, and it was all off the record. And sometimes we had stories from people that had really had a rough time. And it was like, sometimes they were funny, and sometimes you're like, 'Fucking hell, they can really get shafted pretty badly, right, if you're not careful.'"
Brown explained that he felt uncomfortable "taking people's pain and then turning it into content," and so changed details when adapting those stories into The Franchise:
"Most of what happens in the show is genuinely based on something true and something real. But yeah, we might change the specifics a little bit, just because otherwise it's a bit... [There is] something ethically weird about taking people's pain and then turning it into content."
In a similar vein, Juli Weiner talked about how she went into the comments sections of YouTube videos in order to authentically highlight the "gruesome" way some fans treat women in franchise movies. Given the violent nature of these comments, the writers "didn't have to, like, stretch too far" in order to depict it realistically:
"I remember reading, going through just YouTube comments, trailers and interviews, and just gruesome, some of them, really horrible, rough stuff, yeah. ... So, yeah, didn't have to, like, stretch too far."
Writer Rachel Axler added that when people are as "passionate about, like, adhering to the original" source material as franchise movie fans often are, changes like gender-bending a character can be seen as "a huge deal," leading to such a harsh response:
"We were taking in from everything we were reading — articles about it, interviews with people, stuff that was very much in the news about, you know, treatment of certain actresses who were, you know, playing, leads in Marvel films, and getting a lot of backlash. So, yeah, I mean, I feel like it's probably similar across most, sort of, film genres, but I do think that maybe they get it worse when it comes to something that people are so incredibly passionate about, like, adhering to the original, right? So if you change anything, including, you know, the gender of a character, that's a huge deal."
But, as Brown said, not everything adapted for the show was serious, and sometimes the show genuinely was truly meant to satirize. As Isaac Powell (Bryson) put it, "it's a satire, not a roast."
While some people on the show may have been nervous about coming across as mean spirited, Darren Goldstein (Pat) kept in mind that ultimately "HBO green-lit this show." He sees it as the company admitting that they "deserve to be needled a little bit:"
"I thought that if HBO green-lit this show, and they're owned by Warner Brothers discovery ... Obviously HBO is saying to everyone, 'We're having fun with this.' ... We deserve to be needled a little bit."
Himesh Patel (Daniel) looked at it similarly, saying that "we can laugh at ourselves and laugh at the absurdity of what we do for a living." But, he also said the show does important work "centering, like, the ADs and the sort of below-the-line" (a phrase he explained he did not care for) people behind big franchise movies:
"It was great to sort of go, 'We can laugh at ourselves and laugh at the absurdity of what we do for a living,' and... But also centering, like, the ADs, and the sort of 'below-the-line,' as we call them, which isn't the greatest phrase in the world ... They're finally in the spotlight ... Anything you've watched, anything you've seen, has had a first AD, a third AD, a producer, a production designer, a costume designer, all these people."
Lolly Adefope agreed, saying that "the show isn't aiming to completely skewer, or, like, punch up at these franchises," but rather to be "celebrating the hard work that goes in:"
"The show isn't aiding to completely skewer, or, like, punch up at these franchises. ... It's, like, people working really hard to try and make something that they want to be great, and often it's... The dysfunction comes from above, or like too many voices or too many cooks. So I think the show is like celebrating the hard work that goes in, and how sometimes the end product isn't always what people wanted."
Powell said that his own work in the entertainment industry helped him portray Bryson in The Franchise — particularly how Bryson "has a lot of a lot of energy and a lot of passion, and yet nothing to really funnel it into:"
"Bryson's whole thing is, like, he has a lot of energy and a lot of passion, and yet nothing to really funnel it into. He's, like, waiting to be given some actual responsibility, and he has none. And I can think of a lot of times in my life and in my career, where I was like, 'I know I have so much here, if somebody would just give me a chance to, you know, go for it.' So I feel like that's kind of where I come from with Bryson."
The Franchise Creator on Show's Possible Future
When asked about a possible Season 2, Brown said that as of now, it is "impossible" to know if there is more of The Franchise to come after its first season. He said they have "a sense in [their] head of, like, a pretty big story," comparing "real-life franchises" to "melodramas."
He would be interested in potentially exploring things like a franchise "starting to go back on its own history, and becoming nostalgic," referencing Robert Downey Jr.'s return to the MCU to play Doctor Doom as an example of this:
"It's an impossible question to answer. We've got a sense in our head of, like, a pretty big story. The real life franchises are like melodramas, right? And we were just talking about, like, bringing back Robert Downey Jr. and Marvel, like becoming, sort of, starting to go back on its own history, and becoming nostalgic, and looking back and sort of rebooting within itself. And that feels like a good, interesting idea."
Brown sees the first season as Daniel's "origin story," saying that if the show were to continue into a Season 2, the "careers" of the show's characters "will really drive" it:
"In terms of our characters, like Daniel, we end the season with a feeling that this is... This season is sort of just his origin story. And that's what will really drive the show is, like these people, Eric, Adam and Daniel and their careers are the things that I think we'll be really interested in."
He also lightheartedly talked about considering "doing a Comic-Con episode" in the show's future, even saying that "it'd be fun" to explore things like "these roundtable interviews" (as in, the one he was actively participating in) as part of it:
"We did in the room talk about doing a Comic Con episode. We'd really love to do it. [It would] be fun. Even just these sort of round table interviews, it'd be really fun, right? Be good episode? You'd see all the other franchises in different rooms next door, and it's cool."
New episodes of The Franchise release on Max every Sunday through November 24, 2024.
Gillian Blum has been a writer at The Direct since 2022, reporting primarily from New York City. Though she covers news from across the entertainment industry, Gillian has a particular focus on Marvel and DC, including comics, movies, and television shows. She also commonly reports on Percy Jackson, Invincible, and other similar franchises.
