Credit: pxfuelWhile HBO has been known for its award-winning dramas like Game of Thrones, Succession, Chernobyl, and The Sopranos, it has also created genre-defining comedies. They have made classics such as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Veep, Barry and Silicon Valley. They will now address “superhero movie fatigue” with a tongue-in-cheek mockumentary series that will mock the Marvel and DC cinematic universes.
The Franchise will be about an ensemble cast trying to revive a dying superhero franchise so they can compete with their studio rivals. It will parody the hidden insanity that can exist within production from these kinds of spectacles. It will focus on the drama between the actors, producers, directors and toxic fanbases.
This upcoming series will star British actor, Himesh Patel (Yesterday) and Aya Cash (The Boys), along with Jessica Hynes (Shaun of the Dead), Billy Magnussen (Game Night), Lolly Adefope (Ghosts), Isaac Powell (Dear Evan Hansen) and Daniel Brühl (The Falcon and The Winter Soldier).
The show will be produced by Skyfall and 1917 director, Sam Mendes, with Succession and Veep producer, Jon Brown, as showrunner. HBO’s executive vice president, Amy Gravitt, expressed that she picked Mendes due the masterful touch he puts to his projects that captures the romance and reality of filmmaking. She continued that Brown excels at immersing viewers into worlds they think they know, then turning it on its head.
HBO made clear that this project was greenlit before the actors strike began in July. They ensured that production will not commence until the SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of TV and Radio Artists) and WGA (Writers Guild of America) strikes have been brought to a resolution.
Even though the superhero genre has dominated the box office, the unrefined and formulaic influx of superhero movies have led to dwindling financial returns. There is no better example then Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Secret Invasion, which put the Walt Disney Company at a near $500 million loss for the year. Alternative superhero projects like The Boys, The Umbrella Academy and Invincible have become massive successes because they have subverted and diverted from superhero movie tropes. The Franchise is expected to do the same while most likely shining a light on the absurdity of Hollywood politics.
Can HBO take on Marvel and DC? Do you think there is a “superhero fatigue?”