by Alex Billington
March 13, 2024
Source: YouTube
"Diplomacy must never been a siege – but, a seduction." Apple TV has revealed the trailer for a mini-series titled Franklin, depicting the eight years Benjamin Franklin spent in France to convince the country to underwrite America's democracy. This Apple TV production with ITV Studios and Flame Ventures is a large scale look at a major moment in American history. It's launching for streaming starting in early April this spring before the summer movie season kicks off. In late 1776, Benjamin Franklin is world famous for his electrical experiments. But his passion and power are put to the test when he embarks on a secret mission to France — with the fate of American independence hanging in the balance. Hoping to strike a deal to recruit their help defeat the British. Michael Douglas stars as iconic American inventor & politician Ben Franklin, with Noah Jupe as his son William Temple Franklin. The ensemble cast includes Marc Duret, Ludivine Sagnier, Thibault de Montalembert, Daniel Mays, Assaad Bouab, Jeanne Balibar, Théodore Pellerin, John Hollingworth, & Eddie Marsan as John Adams. This seems to be less of a story about America, more of a series showing what France was like in the 18th century - rather chaotic and dangerous.
Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Apple TV+'s series Franklin, direct from YouTube:
In December of 1776, Benjamin Franklin is world famous for his electrical experiments. But his passion and power are put to the test when he embarks on a secret mission to France — with the fate of American independence hanging in the balance. It explores the story of one of the greatest gambles of Franklin's career. At age 70, Franklin outmaneuvered both British spies and French informers while engineering the Franco-American alliance of 1778. Franklin is a series written by writers Kirk Ellis ("John Adams", "Sons of Liberty") and Howard Korder ("Boardwalk Empire", "Perry Mason"). Based on Stacy Schiff's 2005 book A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America. All 8 episodes are directed by acclaimed TV director Timothy Van Patten (aka Tim Van Patten), of directing work on the series "The Sopranos", "The Pacific", "Boardwalk Empire", "Game of Thrones", "Black Mirror", "Perry Mason", and "Masters of the Air" previously. Made by Apple Studios, Flame Ventures, ITV Studios. And executive produced by Kirk Ellis, Howard Korder, Tim Van Patten, Michael Douglas, Tony Krantz, Mark Mostyn, Richard Plepler. Apple will debut the Franklin series streaming on Apple TV+ starting April 12th, 2024 this spring. Who's interested?