HBO Orders Half-Hour Comedy “The Franchise,” Featuring Daniel Brühl, to Series

Daniel Brühl is a franchisee

HBO has ordered to series the half-hour comedy The Franchise, featuring the 45-year-old Spanish-German actor.

Daniel BruhlFrom Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes, Armando Iannucci and writer Jon Brown, the series takes a wry look at superhero movie-making.

Work on the pilot was completed before the SAG-AFTRA strike began, and production on the series won’t begin until the strikes have concluded.

Himesh Patel and Aya Cash have joined as series regulars on the comedy, which revolves around the crew of an unloved franchise movie who fight for their place in a savage and unruly cinematic universe.

The Franchise shines a light on the secret chaos inside the world of superhero moviemaking to ask the question: How exactly does the cinematic sausage get made? Because every f*ckup has an origin story.

Patel and Cash are featured in the pilot, but their roles never were announced.

In addition to Brühl in a recurring role, the previously announced cast includes series regulars Jessica Hynes, Billy Magnussen, Lolly Adefope, Darren Goldstein, and Isaac Powell.

“With a deft touch only he can bring, Sam has brilliantly captured the romance and the reality of filmmaking today, said Amy Gravitt, EVP, HBO Programming, Head of HBO & Max Comedy. “Jon is superb at sending up worlds we think we already know. Together, with Armando, they have delivered a truly hilarious comedy ensemble. I can’t wait to see more.”

The series comes from the mind of Mendes and marks his first U.S. TV directorial project. He won a Best Director Oscar for American Beauty and earned three Academy Award nominations for 1917, for Best Picture, Director and Original Screenplay.

Patel stars as Daniel, Cash as Anita, Hynes as Steph, Magnussen as Adam, Adefope as Dag, Goldstein as Pat and Powell as Bryson. Brühl recurs as Eric.

The pilot was directed by Mendes and written by Jon Brown, who serves as showrunner.

MJ Rodriguez to Star in the Anthology Series Package “Girls Can’t Shoot (& Other Lies)”

Michaela Jaé Rodriguez is preparing to debunk some female-related myths…

The 30-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress and singer will star in the anthology series package Girls Can’t Shoot (& Other Lies), a project hailing from Mark Gordon Pictures.

MJ Rodriguez

Rodriguez joins an all-star cast that includes Beanie Feldstein, Kat Dennings, Jameela Jamil and Lolly Adefope.

The project is based on the international bestselling essay collection Feminists Don’t Wear Pink (and Other Lies).

Saorise Ronan will serve as an executive producer of the pilot episode.

The source material, curated by Scarlett Curtis, has been published globally in 12 languages and includes essays authored by Ronan, Feldstein, Dennings, Jamil and Adefope.

The first season will explore and play with the expectations of women in storytelling by placing heroines at the center of traditionally male genres in a multitude of original, high concept, cinematic tales and will put the creative power squarely into the hands of female filmmakers. Curtis, who created the format, will serve across the entire series as EP and write the pilot episode.

Feminists Don’t Wear Pink (and other lies) gave a generation of women the chance to tell their stories and Girls Can’t Shoot (& other lies) has the exact same mission,” Curtis said. “It has been my lifelong dream to show that women’s stories can be both entertaining and empowering and I could not have found a more incredible group of women to bring their extraordinary visions to life. Working with two producers as supportive, creative and risk taking as Bonnie and Mark has been a truly magical process.”

Shadi Hamta is attached as a writer, with each actor acting as executive producers in the episode in which they star. Dennings and Adefope will write the episodes in which they will star, adapted from their essays in the collection. Feldstein and Rodriguez have partnered to develop the episode in which they will co-star. Executive producing for Mark Gordon Pictures will be Gordon and Bonnie-Chance Roberts.

“It was in March 2020, on the cusp of the end of the world, that we first began dreaming of a way to harness the spirit of Scarlett’s book into a series,” Roberts said. So, to have had each of these wildly talented, deeply creative women partner with us and pour so much passion into the work is an absolute dream come true. Working with Scarlett, as wonderful of a person as she is a creative, has been the greatest joy!”

Mark Gordon Pictures has an existing deal with eOne, under which they continue to acquire, develop and produce an expansive slate of projects spanning multiple genres and mediums.

 

This year, Rodriguez became the first transgender woman to earn an Emmy Award nomination in a major acting category; she was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her performance in the third and final season of Pose.

Fred Armisen to Appear in Audible’s Mockumentary “The Special Relationship”

Fred Armisen has a new relationship

The53-year-old half-Venezuelan Emmy-nominated actor/comedian and former Saturday Night Live cast member will take part in Audible’’s new mockumentary The Special Relationship.

Fred Armisen

Hailing from Alex Owen and Ben Ashenden, theUK comedy duo known as The Pin, the series will follow two misguided British sketch comedians attempting to ‘make it’ in America with satirical nods to a post-Brexit Britain trying to ‘go it alone’. 

The mockumentary will feature a mix of live sketches and ‘documentary footage.’

In addition to Armisen, performers set to take part in the project include Cecily StrongJamie DemetriouJohn ReynoldsKate BerlantLolly Adefope, Sally PhillipsJanine Harouni and Charly Clive.

Owen and Ashenden’s are best known for their work on BBC Radio 4 and acclaimed live shows.

The Audible pod series is set to launch at the beginning of August.

In addition to SNL, Armisen s the co-creator and co-star of the IFC sketch comedy series Portlandia. He is also the bandleader and frequent drummer for the Late Night with Seth Meyers house band, The 8G Band