On most movie sets, the director can seem like a captain steering a massive ship through choppy waters while commanding a crew of dozens (or hundreds) to work as one. But when it comes to making a big superhero movie designed to fit seamlessly into an even bigger cinematic universe, the job of a director is sometimes a little less empowering.
“A producer told us the joke on franchise movies is that they call the director the intern because they're the one person that changes, all the rest of the crew remains the same,” Jon Brown tells Inverse. “Everyone else knows this stuff better than they do.”
Brown, who’s best known for his work as a writer on Succession, is the creator of The Franchise, HBO’s new workplace comedy that takes place on the set of a B-tier superhero movie titled Tecto: Eye of the Storm. Brown worked with Armando Iannucci (Veep) and Sam Mendes (James Bond outings Spectre and Skyfall) to craft perfectly timed satire of the 21st-century’s most enduring cultural legacy: the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“I feel like every time I find a hill to díe on, I end up dying on it, and then I’m just dead. On a hill,” Daniel Brühl says in The Franchise.
Brühl plays director Eric Bouchard, who, along with his assistant director Daniel (Himesh Patel) is desperately trying to turn a forgettable superhero flick into a work of art — or at least a movie that isn’t embarrassing to put his name on. Throughout the HBO show’s eight episodes, we see Eric and Daniel attempt cameos, product placement, practical effects, and night shoots. And every time, some external interference gets in the way.
Meanwhile, producer Anita (Aya Cash) tries to make everything run smoothly while assuaging Eric’s ego — but not everyone is in the loop. Lolly Adefope plays Dag, the third AD who sees the movie industry crumbling around her but cheerfully approaches each day as a new adventure. Jessica Hynes plays Steph, Eric’s assistant who is far more concerned with the director’s nap schedule than canon continuity.
Daniel is arguably the protagonist of this ensemble piece, but he’s the straight man to Brühl’s Eric. Brühl is also one of the few actors in this series with MCU experience, as he played Zemo in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. But Brühl tells Inverse he didn’t draw on his Marvel experience at all, which he says only got better over time.
“When I revisited my character, they were totally opened to including using some stuff that I improvised that I never thought it would end up being in the show,” Brühl says.
Instead, Eric is inspired by two other experiences: Brühl’s own 2021 directorial debut (Next Door) and a “total shitshow” movie he also worked on but refuses to name.
“It was so painful to show up every day and try to save that ship from sinking big time,” he says, “But you have to do it.”
Everyone involved with The Franchise is intimately familiar with how the industry works, which can be a double-edged sword. There’s an air of authenticity, but it also means the jokes are sometimes only funny if you have Hollywood experience on your resumé. (The worst example of this is Judd Apatow’s The Bubble, a movie made by and for Hollywood actors.)
The Franchise mostly sidesteps this problem. Some bits are tailor-made for hardcore Marvel fans or industry professionals, but at the end of the day, it’s a workplace comedy. It also helps that, like their characters, a lot of the cast is just happy to be there.
“When you are on TV or film sets, there is so much enthusiasm amongst all of the chaos and all the things going wrong,” Adefope tells Inverse. “Especially with younger ADs and PAs, you're so excited to be there. It's kind of everyone's dream to be working in this industry.”
That’s what makes The Franchise tick. It’s a peek behind an (albeit fictional) curtain at how the sausage gets made. It doesn’t preach, it doesn’t claim to be the cure to superhero fatigue, it just shows how even the most successful movie dynasties are built on a series of countless panics, and there’s something oddly comforting in that. Hollywood is just a workplace like any other.
