March 27, 2024
Provided image/Apple TV+
"Franklin" follows Benjamin Franklin (Michael Douglas) and his grandson William Temple Franklin (Noah Jupe) on their 1776 expedition to France to secure an alliance during the Revolutionary War.
Move over, Ken Burns: Another Benjamin Franklin series is coming to television, with a major star attached to play the patron saint of Philadelphia.
The first three episodes of "Franklin," the latest in a growing stable of Apple TV+ historical dramas, hits the streaming service Friday, April 12. The limited series focuses on Franklin's diplomatic mission to France to convince the nation to support the American Revolution. It is based on the nonfiction book "A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America" by Stacy Schiff, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 2000 for her biography of Véra Nabokova.
The show will also star Noah Jupe (best known from the "Quiet Place" franchise) as Frankin's grandson William Temple Franklin, who accompanied him on the French expedition as his secretary. Eddie Marsan will play John Adams, while Canadian actor Théodore Pellerin will appear as the Marquis de Lafayette.
The first trailer hints at Franklin's political maneuvers in Paris, as well as his infamous philandering. The Founding Father ended up staying eight years in France to secure the alliance, which was formalized in a 1778 military treaty.
"Franklin" is yet another big-budget period piece for Apple TV+, which has been steadily pumping out shows for history buffs over the past three months. "Manhunt," which follows the search for John Wilkes Booth after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, premiered March 15, following "Masters of the Air," a new WWII series from the producers of "Band of Brothers." "The New Look," a study of Christian Dior and Coco Chanel in the years immediately before and after the liberation of Nazi-occupied France, airs its season finale next week.
As for "Franklin," it'll air one new episode after the initial April 12 dump each Friday through May 17. Check out the trailer below:
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