The Franchise star says Sam Mendes incorporated James Bond "madness" into show
The Skyfall and Spectre director is one of the minds behind the parody.
The Franchise star Himesh Patel has explained how director Sam Mendes brought his James Bond experience to the comedy series, which spoofs the chaotic production of blockbuster films.
Yesterday and Tenet's Patel stars as Daniel Kumar, first assistant director on a fictional superhero film called Tecto: Eye of the Storm, which is one small component of a Marvel-style cinematic universe.
Skyfall and Spectre filmmaker Mendes directed the first episode of The Franchise and also executive produced the series alongside Succession's Jon Brown and Veep's Armando Iannucci.
While the 007 franchise has not yet spawned a family of connected spin-offs (no, Road to a Million doesn't count), Bond films remain some of the most ambitious projects in the film industry – so Mendes had a lot to draw from regardless.
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"He did talk a lot about his experience on the franchise, because that obviously pertained to this show – which was invaluable, really," explained Patel in an interview with RadioTimes.com.
"The madness that he, for two films, worked his way through to make two very good movies. But there’s a lot [to handle], especially on a franchise like that."
For example, one episode of The Franchise is focused primarily on product placement, with the Bond franchise having no shortage of brand partners, including Aston Martin, Omega Watches and Heineken.
It seems that's one element of the James Bond experience that helped inform The Franchise, with Patel recalling how Mendes would have to "put a certain can in a certain position in a certain scene" while shooting the films.
With speculation over who will be the next Bond continuing to swirl the internet, we couldn't resist asking whether Patel asked Mendes if he had what it takes to step into the iconic role.
Patel responded: "Me? As James Bond? I didn’t broach that subject, because that would be silly."
His co-star Aya Cash (The Boys) disagreed, adding: "I think this is a great idea… I’m in."
The Franchise premieres on Sky and NOW on Monday 21st October 2024.
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