HBO’s The Franchise Moviemaking Spoof Reminded MCU Vet Daniel Brühl of a Certain ‘$#*! Show’ From His Past

Matt Webb Mitovich

1 October 2024 at 10:45 am·3-min read

Daniel Brühl of HBO’s upcoming superhero filmmaking spoof, The Franchise, has seen this movie before.

Premiering this Sunday, Oct.6 at 10/9c and counting Academy Award winner and two-time James Bond director Sam Mendes among its executive producers, The Franchise follows the crew of an unloved franchise movie — Tecto: Eye of the Storm — as they fight for their place “in a savage and unruly cinematic universe.” The half-hour comedy series aims to shine a light on the secret chaos inside the world of superhero moviemaking, asking the question: How exactly does the cinematic sausage get made?

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The series’ cast includes MCU vet Brühl as Eric, the struggling film’s director; Himesh Patel (Station Eleven) as Daniel, the 1AD (first assistant director); Aya Cash (The Boys) as Anita, an ambitious producer (and Daniel’s ex); Jessica Hynes (the UK’s W1A) as script supervisor Stephanie; Billy Magnussen (Made for Love) and Richard E. Grant (Loki) as Tecto stars Adam and Peter; Lolly Adefope (the UK’s Ghosts) as Dag, the third AD; Darren Goldstein (Ozark) as Maximum Studios chief Pat; and Isaac Powell (American Horror Story Seasons 10/11) as Bryson, a PA.

As revealed early on in the series (and highlighted in trailers, like the brand-new one below), production on this Tecto film does not go swimmingly. Swole Adam and Shakespearean-trained Peter do not get along; the studio has trimmed the budget for an army of alien mole people; and the titular hero’s iconic “invisible jackhammer” weapon… well, it looks damn silly on-set.

TVLine asked Brühl — who of course has played MCU villain Helmut Zemo in both Captain America: Civil War and Disney+’s The Falcon and The Winter Soldier — if whilst filming this look at a troubled movie shoot, he ever had an, “Oh yeah, I’ve been there” moment. The short answer is yes, though it is not what you think.

“I have been there,” Brühl told TVLine, “but I was never thinking of Marvel and my experiences with them, because I was always treated with a lot of respect, and I had the impression that it’s a very well-oiled machine.

In Marvel projects, “I never saw that degree of absurd, chaos and dysfunction” that director Eric puts up with on Tecto: Eye of the Storm, he continued, “but I did another film that I wouldn’t like to mention right now that really felt like a total s–t show. From the second I arrived on set, everything went wrong and there was no way out. That ship really sank. And it was so frustrating to go home every evening and think, ‘Tomorrow might be a better day,’ when no, it was just a disaster. So I was thinking about that film a lot.” (Brühl’s IMDb page can be reviewed here, if you want to play detective.)

Before ending our chat with Brühl, we of course had to ask about the prospect of the aforementioned Zemo resurfacing in Phase 5 of the MCU, which resumes in 2025 with February’s Captain America: Brave New World (a follow-up to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) and May’s Thunderbolts* team-up.

“I wouldn’t know — and even if I knew, I wouldn’t and couldn’t tell you,” he understandable replied. “The only thing that we all know, and I know ,is that this guy is not dead yet!”

Want scoop on The Franchise, or for any other TV show ? Email InsideLine@tvline.com, and your question may be answered via Matt’s Inside Line!

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