I am more than probably naive about these things, but in spite of documentary evidence to the contrary, not to mention a century of backstage dramas and comedies peopled with insane directors, ham actors, difficult divas, cynical screenwriters and the like, I am inclined to believe that movies are made in a spirit of love and cooperation, egos parked for the good of the art. François Truffaut’s “Day for Night” has always struck me as the ideal picture of that process — not without challenges, or quirky personalities, but with a clear sense of purpose. Everyone knows how to do their job.
“The Franchise,” a new series from HBO premiering Sunday that takes a comic look at the production of a second-tier superhero movie from a Marvel-like studio called Maximum, is the nightmare version of that dream. We are on the set of “Tecto,” named for a superhero — played by Adam, who is played by Billy Magnussen — whose gimmicks are an “invisible jackhammer” and a glove that can cause earthquakes. The film is being directed by Eric (Daniel Brühl), an arty director who has won awards in other contexts and is unduly proud of being friends with Christopher Nolan, but is unfit for the studio system or his subject.
“I’m a weird, difficult guy ...
I’m strange, and I’m serious. I don’t know how to think like the kind of guy who washes his car, eats a chicken drumstick with his wife and has a bath.” The production is behind schedule, not least because, as som.
