Michael Douglas To Play Benjamin Franklin in Upcoming Apple TV Plus Limited Series
Michael Douglas continues to expand his resumé, and will play one of the founding fathers of the United States
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Academy Award and Emmy-winner Michael Douglas will be playing “The First American”, Benjamin Franklin himself, in an upcoming biographical limited series set at Apple TV+. The plot will revolve around Franklin’s diplomatic mission to France during the American Revolution and will be an adaptation of Pulitzer Prize winner Stacy Schiff’s book A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America.
Another Emmy winner, Kirk Ellis, will write the project, with yet another Emmy winner, Tim Van Patten, set to direct the series. Ellis won his Emmy for 2008’s John Adams miniseries, in the categories of Outstanding Miniseries and Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries. Van Patten is a TV veteran who has worked in high-profile HBO shows like The Sopranos or Game of Thrones (of which he directed the first two episodes).
From THR:
“The untitled series will tell the story of one of the greatest gambles of Franklin’s storied life: At age 70, and with no diplomatic training, he convinced France’s absolute monarchy to underwrite America’s experiment in democracy. By virtue of his fame, charisma, and ingenuity, Franklin outmaneuvered British spies, French informers and hostile colleagues, all while engineering the Franco-American alliance of 1778 and the final peace with England of 1783. Without his work in France, the United States likely wouldn’t have won the Revolutionary War.”
Ellis, Van Patten, and Douglas will be executive producers, along with Richard Plepler via Eden Productions, Tony Krantz via Flame Ventures, and Mark Mostyn.
No release window has been set for the project. Stay tuned for more reports as details emerge.
Miguel Fernández is a Spanish student that has movies as his second passion in life. His favorite movie of all time is The Lord of the Rings, but he is also a huge Star Wars fan. However, fantasy movies are not his only cup of tea, as authors like Scorsese, Fincher, Kubrick or Hitchcock have been an obsession for him since he started to understand the language of filmmaking. He is that guy who will watch a black and white movie, just because it is in black and white.
