Daniel Brühl explains howThe Franchiseis different from his experience in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Brühl previously playedBaron Helmut Zemoin the MCU’sCaptain America: Civil Warand inThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier. He now has a recurring role inHBO’s satirical comedy series, which revolves around the chaotic filming of a superhero movie. In addition to Brühl,The Franchise’s cast includes Himesh Patel, Aya Cash, Jessica Hynes, Billy Magnussen, and Richard E. Grant.
In an interview withScreen Rant,Brühl shared thatThe Franchisedid not remind him of the MCUand was instead more reminiscent of his experience making a different movie. He emphasized that he had a positive experience working in the MCU, including the creative freedom he was given with Zemo when he reprised the role inThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier. However,The Franchise’sstory still felt similar due to challenging filming experiences while making other projects. Check out Brühl’s comments below:
It resonated with me deeply because of various reasons. Obviously, I’ve been there, although I didn’t think that much of Marvel, I have to say. It would be the obvious question that people ask me, but no, because they treated me so well. It was a well-oiled machine. I never encountered any total madness and craziness and absurdity and problems. There was a lot of sense of humor; the second time around that I revisited Zemo, I was even allowed to do something very different with the character, so I really couldn’t complain ever.
But I’ve done another film in particular that I don’t want to mention that was a total s–tshow. The second I arrived, everything went wrong, and the ship sank dramatically. That was a very painful and frustrating experience that I had to think about a lot. Also, I directed one very small film that only a few people have seen, but I could tell what it means to be the captain of a ship and to be responsible for the whole thing. Having to answer all these questions and cope with all these problems that can come up.
What This Means For The Franchise
It’s More Than An MCU Critique
The Franchise’s premise inevitably makes it feel like a commentary on the MCU, but Brühl’s comments suggest that the series' satire is more universal. While the MCU has its behind-the-scenes issues, after 34 movies, the superhero franchise has become, as Brühl said,“a well-oiled machine"that has encouraged him and other actors to star in multiple projects. Instead of taking a direct shot at the MCU,The Franchisecan apply to the chaos that can ensue when making any movie given the many moving pieces at work.
At the same time, part ofThe Franchise’s appeal is that its cast features several actors who have played important roles in real superhero franchises. This is not only the case with Brühl, but with Grant, who played important roles inLoganand inLokiseason 1, and with Cash, who played Stormfront in Prime Video’ssatirical superhero seriesThe Boys. Their presence will provide another layer of comedy and commentary in the upcoming HBO series.
Our Take On Daniel Brühl’s Comments
They Are Consistent With Zemo’s Best Scene In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Given how the MCU leaned into Zemo dancing inThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier, even releasing an hour-long video of his moves, it isunsurprising that Brühl felt like he was allowed to do something differentin theDisney+ series. As forThe Franchise, despite the obvious connections to the MCU, the series will benefit from being a more universal critique of filming a movie than in taking a direct shot at the MCU. It has the opportunity to be a genuinely funny series, demonstrating how difficult the movie-making process can be behind-the-scenes.
The Franchise
Cast
The Franchise is a Max original comedy television series that follows a film crew as they document their increasingly chaotic and hectic work on a Superhero film franchise. Acting as a satire on the industry, the show looks to lampoon the process and the sometimes unreasonable expectations of keeping a long-standing franchise alive and kicking.
