A three-month shoot begins today (26 February) on HBO’s The Franchise, a satirical comedy that takes a sideways swipe at superhero movie-making.

Himesh Patel and Aya Cash star alongside Jessica Hynes, Billy Magnussen, Lolly Adefope, Darren Goldstein, Isaac Powell, Richard E. Grant, and Daniel Brühl in the half-hour comedy series.

Following a successful pilot, the HBO logline reads: “The crew of an unloved franchise movie 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*ck-up has an origin story.”

The executive producers are Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Nicolas Brown, and Julie Pastor for Neal Street Productions; Armando Iannucci for Dundee Productions; Jon Brown, and Jim Kleverweis. The pilot was directed by Sam Mendes and written by Jon Brown, who serves as showrunner.

At the time of the full-series commissioning news, Amy Gravitt, executive vice president, HBO programming, head of HBO & Max comedy series said: “With a deft touch only he can bring, Sam has brilliantly captured the romance and the reality of filmmaking today. 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.”

Himesh Patel image via Montclair Film and Creative Commons.