The recording of the fateful superhero film "Tecto: Eye of the storm" is on the verge of collapsing completely, all the time. This is the premise for Max's new comedy series "The franchise", created by, among others, Armando Iannucci and Sam Mendes.
The two Hollywood veterans from TV series "The thick of it" and "Veep" respectively, and several Bond films and Oscar-winning "American beauty", seem to have used many anecdotes from a life in the film industry.
It's very credibly depicted how chaotic and ridiculous it is. Honestly, I'd say that reality is even worse, says Aya Cash, who plays one of the producers whose task it is to keep the recording going.
Messing with the knees
It's not easy when the superstar (Billy Magnussen) in the lead role overdoses on growth hormones, the esteemed actor (Richard E Grant) in a supporting role has diva behavior or when the neurotic director (Daniel Brühl) cracks and wants to give up when the influential Hollywood producer fires all extras for cost-saving reasons.
In the center stands Daniel (Himesh Patel), the recording leader who constantly has to put out fires and solve all the problems that arise.
I think there's research that recording leaders have more health problems than most others, says Aya Cash and laughs.
Driving with love
In recent decades, the inflated superhero films have dominated the film industry and become increasingly spectacular. Now that some of them have started to flop, it's easy to want to drive with them, but Himesh Patel is keen to point out that there's also a little love in the script.
It's satire, but I also think it's a tribute. It's like my character says in the series: "When you make this kind of superhero film and do it well, there's nothing better".
He describes "The franchise" as a workplace comedy that pays tribute to the "little person".
It's about people we usually don't see and who usually don't get praised. They're the ones who work the hardest to make sure this kind of film gets made. So even if we drive with the machinery, we pay tribute to the people behind, says Patel.
"The franchise" premieres on Max on October 7.
Several of the main cast members in "The franchise" are actors on the rise. Have you seen them before?
Himesh Patel – played the lead role in the film "Yesterday" and has also appeared in "Tenet" and opposite Jennifer Lawrence in "Don't look up".
Aya Cash – comes from one of the roles in the superhero series "The boys".
Billy Magnussen – has, among other things, made appearances in the TV series "American crime story" and supporting roles in the latest Bond film "No time to die" and Guy Ritchie's film adaptation of "Aladdin".
