Armando Iannucci series ‘The Franchise’ has been cancelled after just one season

The Franchise has been cancelled by HBO after just one season.

The satirical show about the making of a superhero movie was created by Jon Brown, who has previously worked on Succession and Veep and executive produced by Sam Mendes and The Thick Of It creator Armando Iannucci.

The series starred Himesh Patel as a cynical first assistant director on a big-budget movie that is a minor installment in a larger superhero franchise.

Aya Cash, Jessica Hynes, Billy Magnussen, Lolly Adefope, Darren Goldstein and Isaac Powell, Richard E. Grant and Daniel Brühl also starred in the series.

“We’re so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with the tremendously talented team behind The Franchise, especially Sam Mendes, Jon Brown, Armando Iannucci, and this hilarious ensemble of actors,” a HBO spokesperson said in a statement via Deadline. “While we won’t be moving forward with another season, we look forward to collaborating with all of them in the future.”

The show aired eight episodes which wrapped up towards the end of November in the UK and US.

It was critically well received with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 74 per cent but it struggled on the streaming front.

The show is the second Iannucci series to be axed after his sci-fi comedy series Avenue 5 was shelved after two seasons in 2023.

Elsewhere, Sam Mendes is currently working on four individual Beatles movies until “some time in the middle of 2028“.

Mendes, whose previous work includes 1917 and James Bond movies Spectre and Skyfall, will direct all four movies. Each one will intersect, but be told from a different band member’s perspective.

Ridley Scott appeared to recently confirm that Gladiator 2 star Paul Mescal will be playing Paul McCartney while Harris Dickinson is expected to portray John Lennon, Barry Keoghan Ringo Starr and Charlie Rowe is set to play George Harrison.

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