HBO Developing Comedy Series About the Making of a Superhero Movie From Sam Mendes and ‘Veep’ Creator
Sam Mendes came up with a half-hour comedy series titled The Franchise, which follows the making of a superhero movie. HBO has ordered a pilot, according to Variety.
Mendes is attached to direct the pilot, which will be the first time he directs for television (even though he’s been an executive producer on multiple shows, from Penny Dreadful to Britannia). Per Variety:
The half-hour pilot is titled ‘The Franchise.’ It follows a hopeful crew trapped inside the dysfunctional, nonsensical, joyous hellscape of franchise superhero movie-making. If and when they finally make the day, the question they must face — is this Hollywood’s new dawn or cinema’s last stand? Is this a dream factory or a chemical plant?
The story of the pilot was written by Jon Brown, Keith Akushie, and Armando Iannucci, with Brown and Akushie credited as screenwriters. Brown, who worked with Iannucci on Veep and is an executive producer on Succession, will act as showrunner, executive producer, and writer, while Akushie, along with Marina Hyde, will be an EP and writer.
Iannucci, who created the critically acclaimed Veep, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, will executive produce via Dundee Productions. Mendes, in addition to directing, is also executive producing via Neal Street Productions. Other executive producers include Pippa Harris, Nicolas Brown, and Julie Pastor of Neal Street.
Sam Mendes is back this year with a new movie, titled Empire of Light, which already has a lot of Oscar buzz. His last movie, 1917, was the clear favorite to win Best Picture of 2019 until Parasite swept the night with four wins, including Best Picture. Empire of Light stars Olivia Colman, Colin Firth, and Toby Jones, and will be released in theaters this December. The movie will have its world premiere during the Toronto International Film Festival.
No acting talent is attached yet, and neither has a timeframe been provided. If HBO decided to go straight to series, we could see the series during the fall of 2023 at the earliest. Stay tuned for more news.
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.
