Casting news for HBO comedy pilot The Franchise

The Franchise, a comedy pilot for HBO that takes a wry look at superhero moviemaking, has found its cast. The project from Sam Mendes and Armando Iannucci has cast Billy Magnussen, Jessica Hynes, Darren Goldstein, Lolly Adefope and Isaac Powell as series regulars and Daniel Brühl and Richard E. Grant as recurring guest stars.

The Franchise follows a hopeful crew trapped inside the dysfunctional, nonsensical, joyous hellscape of franchise superhero moviemaking. If and when they finally make the day, there’s a 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 series comes from the mind of Mendes and marks the first American directing project for a television series from the director of movies such as the James Bond movies Skyfall (2012) and Spectre (2015).



Billy Magnussen (photo, Tell Me a Story) plays Adam, Jessica Hynes (Years and Years) plays Steph, Darren Goldstein (Ozark) plays Pat, Lolly Adefope (Ghosts (2019)) is Dag, and Powell (American Horror Story) plays Peter, while Daniel Brühl (The Alienist) is Eric, and Richard E. Grant (Dispatches from Elsewhere) is Peter.

The Franchise will be exec produced by Iannucci, via his Dundee Productions banner, and Mendes, via his All3Media-backed production company Neal Street Productions. Mendes, the American Beauty Oscar winner who hatched the idea, will also direct.

Jon Brown is set as showrunner, wrote the pilot and will exec produce alongside Pippa Harris, Nicolas Brown, Julie Pastor, Keith Akushie, Marina Hyde and Jim Kleverweis.