Criticism of The franchiseMax’s exciting new series that pokes fun at superhero movies, with plenty of nods to Marvel. A fiction which promises to be the comic revelation of the season and which begins with a chapter more anecdotal than narrative but which presents its cards very well: a frenetic and almost absurd tone with characters which border on the caricature but which are very well written . . Behind The franchise are the screenwriter John Brownthe executive producer Armando Iannucci and the director Sam Mendes.The first was one of the creators of Succession and has previously worked with Iannucci in Avenue 5 And VIP. For his part, Mendes, known and renowned director of films like American Beauty or some of the most emblematic films of James Bond. The series chronicles the day-to-day filming of a superhero blockbuster and doesn’t skimp on dark jokes about the industry. Leading the cast are Himesh Patel, Lolly Adefope And Daniel Brühl.
Plot and production data
The franchise is an HBO series distributed internationally via Max, the streaming platform which, like the pay network, is under the Warner Bros. umbrella. Discovery.
The protagonists of the series are the different members of the production department of a film belonging to a franchise in times of depression who, in the middle of a wild industry context, will try to make their way to win back the public. We will also be able to see the behavior of the actors, the director and many other members of the film team, who will face all kinds of obstacles between blue fabrics and implausible dialogues.
The point of view is that of the first assistant director and his newly arrived right-hand man. They guide us through a world full of ego and betrayals. A universe which, although somewhat exaggerated, is not far from the reality of a film shoot.
Behind The Franchise are screenwriter Jon Brown, executive producer Armando Iannucci and director Sam Mendes. The former was one of the creatives behind Succession and previously worked with Iannucci on. Avenue 5 And veep. For his part, Medens, a well-known and renowned director of films like American beauty or some of the most iconic films of James Bond.
As for the casting, we find performers like Himesh Patel, Aya Cash, Billy Magnussen, Lolly Adefope, Jessica Hynes, Richard E. Grant eitherDaniel Brühl.
Cinema within cinema
There is a certain fear when it comes to representing cinema in cinema. It is to be feared that the spectator will not want to know the magic trick behind the films he likes the most. But the film industry will always be a bottomless narrative pit, even if it still remains a setting or context. The important thing, ultimately, is to create interesting stories and characters, examples like American night (François Truffaut, 1973) or recent series like The offer either Supplementsthey prove it.
The franchise part of the novelty of seeing how the genre that revolutionized the 21st century film industry is constructed; that of superheroes. At a time when Marvel and its universe are hanging by a thread due to pure audience exhaustion, fiction that addresses the subject and entertains us behind the scenes of this type of product is welcome.
Anecdote versus story
For the moment, we have only been able to see the pilot of The franchise and We can say that the series is promising. His editing, his dialogues and his performances evolve towards a somewhat obvious but effective sarcasm. The best thing is to see the internal war between the producers and the chaos that comes with telling completely illogical stories.
The problem is that, at the moment, The franchise it’s just an anecdote. The foundations of a story to hold onto have not yet been established, there are glimpses but they are not enough. The personal lives of the protagonists are conspicuous by their absence and no situation becomes extreme or truly tense. That none of this exists in a pilot is worrying. I really don’t know if I want to follow a plot where I don’t really know what the characters want. Even with everything, you have to give it time, if only because of the names of its creators.
