The Franchise: cast, plot, and everything we know

A number of big TV and movie heavyweights have joined forces to create The Franchise , a new comedy series which is set to hit screens in the near future.

Created by The Thick of It and Veep creator Armando Iannucci, Skyfall and 1917 director Sam Mendes and Succession writer Jon Brown, The Franchise is a comedy series about a film crew trying to film a movie for a generic Hollywood superhero franchise.

Between those established names behind the scenes and a roster of well-known cast members in front of the camera (though still behind the camera in the show!), The Franchise promises to be one of the biggest series hitting screens in the near future.

So here's what you need to know about The Franchise including what it's about and who's in it.

The Franchise release window

So far there's no word on when The Franchise will hit screens, as the show was affected by the SAG-AFTRA strikes in the US. That's ironic, for a film that's about movie production.

However the release could be before the end of 2024; that's because the show is being exhibited at the London Film Festival in mid-October, which suggests that its release could be shortly afterwards.

The Franchise is created by HBO and so it'll likely be shown on the HBO cable channel and Max streaming service in the US. Most HBO shows air on Sky TV in the UK although that's not been confirmed just yet.

The Franchise plot

Only a vague overview of The Franchise has been released so far. It'll reportedly follow a crew trying to make a movie as part of a superhero franchise, and they're beset by all the pressures this could bring.

The series is set to be a satire, which is no surprise given the creators, so expect it to be similar to Succession, The Thick of It and Veep in tone.

The Franchise cast

The thing we know most about The Franchise is its cast, with the main actors and a few of the supporting ones already confirmed. Here's the primary roster:

• Billy Magnussen ( No Time To Die, Game Night ) as Adam
• Jessica Hynes ( The Royle Family , Spaced ) as Steph
• Darren Goldstein ( Ozark, The Affair ) as Pat
• Lolly Adefope ( Ghosts , Shrill ) as Dag
• Isaac Cole Powell ( American Horror Story , Dear Evan Hansen ) as Bryson
• Himash Patel ( Yesterday, Tenet ) as Daniel
• Aya Cash ( The Boys, You're The Worst ) as Anita

We don't know any more about these characters or their roles just yet.

In addition Richard E. Grant ( Gosford Park, Withnail & I ), Daniel Brühl ( All Quiet on the Western Front , various Avengers shows and movies) and Ruaridh Mollica ( Witness Number 3, Red Rose ) will appear as recurring characters throughout the show.

The Franchise first look

So far we've only seen one glimpse at The Franchise , through a promotional image shared by Warner Bros. Discovery (which owns HBO). The image was shared at the top of this article but you can see it again here:

The image shows some of the cast on the (in-show) set including Brühl and Hynes in the front and Powell, Cash, Patel and Adefope behind.

When more is shared about The Franchise , we'll update this article so you can see more about it.