HBO's next big show starring The Boys and Ozark actors is here to mock how your favorite superhero movies are made

The cast of The Franchise
(Image credit: HBO)

The official trailer for The Franchise, a new comedy about the making of a blockbuster superhero movie, is here – and we're ready for the absolute absurdity.

In the brief clip, which can be viewed below, chaos ensues. We see everything from  poor VFX to the director being accused of sexism (though he's always "wanted to do a feminism") to an on-set brawl brewing on the day the studio is supposed to come visit.

"Is this, by any chance, Taika Waititi's biography during the filming of Thor: Love and Thunder?" one of the top comments hilariously reads.

The Franchise, created by Jon Brown, is a satirical comedy that follows the crew of an unloved franchise movie fighting for their place in a savage and unruly cinematic universe. The comedy series shines a light on the secret chaos inside the world of superhero moviemaking, asking how exactly the cinematic sausage gets made. Every mistake has an origin story.

The cast includes Himesh Patel, Aya Cash, Jessica Hynes, Billy Magnussen, Lolly Adefope, Darren Goldstein, Isaac Cole Powell, Richard E. Grant, Daniel Bruhl, and Ruaridh Mollica.

The Franchise | Official Trailer | Max - YouTube The Franchise | Official Trailer | Max - YouTube
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Sam Mendes directs for the pilot episode, which was written by Brown. Production on the very first episode was completed before July 2023, but the SAG-AFTRA strike shut the rest of the season's production down. The show resumed filming on February 26th and wrapped after three months.

The Franchise premieres October 6 on Max. For more, check out our list of the best new TV shows coming your way in 2024 and beyond.

Lauren Milici
Senior Writer, Tv & Film

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.