HBO’s The Franchise Cast & Character Guide

HBO’s The Franchise is an original satirical comedy that chronicles the behind-the-scenes chaos of a superhero franchise film, and it includes a diverse mix of Hollywood stars and up-and-coming talents, some of whom have actual superhero franchise experience themselves. The series is poised to take aim at the discordance that reportedly plagues interconnected universes like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe. One of the series’ executive producers is actually Sam Mendes, who has experience directing in the long-running James Bond film series, and makes his television directing debut with the show’s first episode.

That level of first-hand experience in franchise film making undoubtedly acts as a benefit for several members of the cast of the series, and could explain why reviews for The Franchise have been mostly favorable so far. While the show has only been greenlit for one season so far, there should be a built-in audience of superhero movie fans who tune in to the comedy series, especially given some of the superhero actors and actresses in the cast. With an ensemble cast playing off each other with quickfire jokes, the caliber of the cast will undoubtedly carry the show.

Himesh Patel as Daniel

Date of Birth: October 13th, 1990

Close

Close

Ruth Negga and Himesh Patel in Good Grief

Close

Active Since: 2007

Actor: Himesh Patel was born in Cambridgeshire, England in 1990, and got his big break starring in 2019’s Yesterday, in which he starred as a failed musician who wakes up in a world where he’s the only person who remembers The Beatles, whose songs he takes credit for. Patel has had roles in several high-profile movies, including Tenet, Don’t Look Up, and Enola Holmes 2, and is a true rising star in Hollywood, as evidenced by his casting in the starring role in The Franchise.

Character: Himesh Patel’s character Daniel is the First AD on the superhero film at the show’s center, titled Tecto. While he may not be the primary director, it’s Daniel who is responsible for keeping the movie moving forward, and keeping the eccentric actors in line and on task. While The Franchise stars an ensemble cast, Daniel is as close to the show’s lead as any character.

Aya Cash as Anita

Date of Birth: July 13th, 1982

Close

Close

Close

Active Since: 2006

Actor: Aya Cash was born in San Francisco, California in 1982, and first gained widespread recognition for her role as Gretchen Cutler on FXX’s dark comedy You’re the Worst. Since then, Cash has continued to work primarily in television, and gained newfound notoriety as the evil Nazi supervillain Stormfront in Amazon Prime’s acclaimed superhero satire The Boys. Cash is set to reprise her role as Stormfront (or “Liberty”) in a starring role in the upcoming prequel to The Boys, Vought Rising.

Character: Aya Cash’s Anita is the primary producer on Tecto, and as such she acts as the barrier between the studio and the cast producing the movie. She is constantly beleaguered by both sides, but fulfills her role as best she can.

Billy Magnussen as Adam

Date of Birth: April 20th, 1985

Close

Close

Close

Active Since: 2007

Actor: BIlly Magnussen was born in New York City in 1985, and was first introduced to a wide audience in 2014’s musical Into the Woods, in which he played Rapunzel’s handsome prince. Magnussen has played a wide variety of roles in his career, and has appeared in major box office and streaming hits like Disney’s Aladdin, the James Bond film No Time To Die, and The Sopranos prequel movie The Many Saints of Newark.

Character: Billy Magnussen’s Adam is the eccentric and unstable star of Tecto, and proves to be one of the biggest challenges for Himesh Patel’s First AD Daniel to handle in the course of the movie’s production.

Jessica Hynes as Steph

Date of Birth: October 30th, 1972

Close

Close

Close

Active Since: 1993

Actor: Jessica Hynes was born in London, England in 1972, and is a well-established, award-winning British comedy actress with a history in film, television, and stage plays. Her big break came in 1999 with the British sitcom Spaced, which she co-wrote and co-starred in with Simon Pegg (who she has collaborated with multiple times). Since then, she has won multiple awards for her comedy performances in British television, and she’s even made some high-profile feature film appearances, including Bridget Jones’ Baby and Paddington 2.

Character: Jessica Hynes’ Steph is the script supervisor on Tecto, and as such she works hand-in-hand with the movie’s director, Eric. The quirky and sometimes tone-deaf nature of Eric makes Steph’s life difficult, as do the many changes that arise during the movie’s production.

Daniel Brühl as Eric

Date of Birth: June 16th, 1978

Close

Close

Image via Hulu

Image via Hulu

Close

Active Since: 1995

Actor: Daniel Brühl was born in Barcelona, Spain in 1978, and has become one of the most widely-recognized faces on the grander international cinema industry. He was first introduced to the North American audience in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, and was introduced to the world of superhero franchises in Captain America: Civil War as the primary villain Helmut Zemo (a role he reprised in the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Solder). Brühl both starred in and produced the Academy Award-winning 2022 adaptation of All Quiet On the Western Front.

Character: Brühl’s erratic director Eric is, at times, a liability to both the film’s forward progress and the studio’s reputation given his clueless nature when it comes to diversity and equality. He is behind many of the movie production’s miscues, and acts as an inadvertent foil for Patel’s Daniel.

Richard E. Grant as Peter

Date of Birth: May 5th, 1957

Close

Close

Close

Active Since: 1980

Actor: Richard E. Grant was born in the African country now known as Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) in 1957, and has evolved into an iconic character actor over the course of his long career. His big break came in 1987’s classic British dark comedy Withnail and I, and he parlayed that into a successful career as a supporting actor in a number of high-profile features over the next 30+ years. Superhero franchise fans will recognize him as “Classic Loki” from the acclaimed Disney+ series Loki, and as the villain Zander Rice in the beloved X-Men movie Logan.

Character: Grant plays Peter, a storied actor who begrudgingly acts in Tecto despite believing that his career accolades should put him above appearing in such trivial movies.

The Franchise Supporting Cast and Characters

Close

Close

Lolly Adefope as Dag: Dag is the second AD on the superhero film Tecto, which at the center of The Franchise, and typically is able to maintain a cool head as everyone else melts in the chaos around her.

Darren Goldstein as Pat: Darren Goldstein’s Pat is a high-ranking studio executive, although not high-ranking enough to skip the grunt work; Darren is assigned to watch over the production and protect the studio’s interests on the set.

Isaac Cole Powell as Bryson: Bryson is quite literally the eyes and ears of the head of the studio behind Tecto, Shane. He constantly has an earpiece for direct communication with Shane, and makes his wishes known on the set.