Based on the book “A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America” by Pulitzer Prize winner Stacy Schiff, the play will trace the thrilling story of one of the greatest gambles of Franklin’s career.
Based on the book “A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America” by Pulitzer Prize winner Stacy Schiff, the play will trace the thrilling story of one of the greatest gambles of Franklin’s career.
“The Kominsky Method” star Michael Douglas will play Benjamin Franklin in the upcoming limited series on Apple TV Plus.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Oscar-winning actors Kirk Ellis and Tim Van Patten will also executive produce the show along with Richard Plepler, Tony Krantz and Mark Mostin.
The project comes from Ellis and Van Patten, who wrote and directed the series, respectively.
Based on the book “A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America” by Pulitzer Prize winner Stacy Schiff, the play will trace the thrilling story of one of the greatest gambles of Franklin’s career.
A drafter and signer of the US Declaration of Independence, Franklin was one of the founding fathers of the United States of America, a group of American revolutionary leaders who united the Thirteen Colonies, led the war for independence from Great Britain, and led the government. made a structure. For the new United States.
At age 70, with no diplomatic training, Franklin convinced France – an absolute monarchy – to outlive America’s experiment in democracy.
“By virtue of his fame, charisma and ingenuity, Franklin outwitted British spies, French informers and hostile allies, all while engineering the Franco-American Alliance of 1778 and the final peace with England of 1783. The French mission stands. As Franklin’s most important service to his country, without which America could not have won the revolution,” reads the gist of the plot.
The series is a co-production between ITV Studios America and Apple Studios. Stacy Schiff will serve as co-executive producer. The casting of this project is going on for the last few months.
It is Ellis’ third project on Franklin, following the HBO miniseries “John Adams”, in which the personality was played by Tom Wilkinson, and Chronicles’ “Sons of Liberty”, in which he was played by Dean Norris.
The multihyphenate Orson Welles essayed the role of Franklin in the 1954 film “Royal Affairs at Versailles” and 1961’s “La Fayette”, both French Italian productions.
Douglas has also been added to play another famous figure in American history, President Ronald Reagan, in “Reagan & Gorbachev”, a limited series of works at Paramount TV Studios.