The Franchise Ordered to Series

HBO has ordered to series The Franchise, a half-hour comedy directed by Sam Mendes that shines a light on the chaos inside the world of superhero moviemaking.

The series follows the crew of an unloved franchise movie as they fight for their place in an unruly cinematic universe. Himesh Patel and Aya Cash have joined the previous announced cast, which includes Jessica Hynes, Billy Magnussen, Lolly Adefope, Darren Goldstein, Isaac Powell, Richard E. Grant and Daniel Brühl.

The Franchise is written by showrunner Jon Brown, who also serves as executive producer. Other executive producers are Mendes, Pippa Harris, Nicolas Brown and Julie Pastor for Neal Street Productions; Armando Iannucci for Dundee Productions; and Jim Kleverweis.

“With a deft touch only he can bring, Sam has brilliantly captured the romance and the reality of filmmaking today,” said Amy Gravitt, executive VP of HBO programming and head of HBO and Max comedy series. “Jon is superb at sending up worlds we think we already know. Together, with Armando, they have delivered a truly hilarious comedy ensemble. I can’t wait to see more.”