Are superheroes killing cinema?

As a seasoned movie-goer with over four decades of watching the silver screen under my belt, I’ve seen it all – from black and white classics to the latest blockbusters. But none have quite captured my heart like Armando Iannucci’s latest masterpiece, “The Franchise.

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Armando Iannucci might not boast Spidey-senses, x-ray vision, or a magical hammer like Thor, but at 60 years old with medium height, he possesses a unique ability. If Marvel’s costume department were to fit Iannucci into a Lycra suit, an S would be the symbol on his chest – standing for satire. “I wouldn’t be able to save people caught in a bank robbery,” he says. “But I could voice out about the hypocrisy of banks investing in fossil fuels.

Sports reporting, news gathering, British and then American politics; all have been targets in an award-winning career that first began with Radio 4’s On the Hour and went on to Alan Partridge, The Thick of It and Veep. Now comes The Franchise, an eight-part satire starring Richard E Grant and Lolly Adefope, about the making of chaotic superhero movie Tecto: Eye of the Storm. It’s a place where monstrous egos rule, story arcs go fantastically awry and characters are abandoned on a whim, the whole tottering edifice held together by a heroic first assistant director, played by Himesh Patel.

According to Iannucci, people often label him as a satirist. However, he clarifies that his approach isn’t about finding someone to mock each day. Instead, it’s about identifying the issues that stir his emotions deeply. He seeks to uncover the power structures that are concealed from us and understand why they exist in such a way.

You can’t move for superheroes. That was the start of it

As a devoted cinema enthusiast, I find myself captivated by “The Franchise,” where the reins are gripped by cunning studio execs and their sycophantic subordinates. However, I must clarify that Kevin Feige, at the helm of Marvel, is generally regarded as a genuinely nice individual. As Iannucci puts it, “He’s enthusiastic about stories,” which makes it less about vilifying everyone involved, and more about the phenomenon of something becoming an unstoppable force – the ‘too big to fail’ mentality. We witnessed this with the financial institutions in 2008, and it’s now prevalent among the social media giants. Initially, they offer a marvel (no pun intended), but problems arise when they reach a certain magnitude.

Iannucci expresses himself fervently as a devoted fan; at the age of 11, his letter was featured in a Spider-Man comic. “I used to empty my pocket money into Marvel comics, owning the initial issues of both Spider-Man and Fantastic Four. Sadly, when I went off to college, my mother discarded them, marking a significant transition in my life. Years later, when Marvel Comics invited me to pen a Spider-Man story, I jokingly told my brother, ‘That’s my resolution to the trauma.’

Initially, I thought my journey with superhero stories had come to an end after wrapping up “The Death of Stalin.” However, a chat with Sam Mendes changed that perspective. He, fresh from his James Bond stint, shared tales of being an acclaimed theatrical Shakespeare director performing stunts. That sparked a comedic idea in my mind. We pondered, “Which franchise would it be?” The Marvel Cinematic Universe was dominating at the time. As cinema enthusiasts, we found ourselves asking each other, “Is it oversaturating cinema?” It seemed like superheroes were everywhere. That conversation marked the beginning of our unique take on the genre.

Jon Brown, the writer who had collaborated with Iannucci on “Veep” and the space-set series “Avenue 5,” was appointed as the showrunner and co-creator. While we were filming “Avenue 5,” Marvel’s productions were at their height. Whenever we requested a guest actor, they’d respond, “I’ve been waiting in a green room for two months, yelling at monsters I can’t see.” This was happening everywhere across London.

In The Franchise, the complete humor of Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) is utilized, yet it also delves into the psychological struggles faced by those involved in its production. As stated by Iannucci, “We consulted veteran first assistant directors and young filmmakers who worked on a single project and subsequently requested to be put to sleep if they were to undertake another one.

Daniel Brühl, an actor who has starred in a Marvel movie (“Captain America: Civil War”), portrays Eric, a European director grappling with existential doubts, in the film “The Franchise”. According to the director Iannucci, he initially worked as an independent director on this superhero film. Iannucci explains, “You’re given creative control for roughly three-quarters of the process, then you’re essentially booted out, and they complete the rest, re-shooting parts that they didn’t like.

Iannucci has been chipping away at pomposity and hypocrisy for 40 years – so while his satire is funny, does it actually change anything? “An exaggerated satire has become the norm,” he admits. “I’m watching the American elections, and seeing not just Trump but his campaign team exaggerate everything. It’s not to ask us to actually believe it, but to like the sound of it so much that we will still support him. That really is the ultimate superhero storyline, isn’t it? The fight between truth and unreality.”

2024-10-17 19:36

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