The United States wouldn’t have won the Revolutionary War without the aid of the far more powerful France. The 13 colonies wouldn’t have had France’s help at all, though, if not for Benjamin Franklin. The founding father’s legendary, secret diplomatic mission secured the support his country desperately needed to win its independence. Now, Apple TV+ and Michael Douglas are bringing the story of Benjamin Franklin’s crowning achievement to the screen. And Franklin‘s first trailer shows success was far from a guarantee. As was Benjamin Franklin’s own safety.
You can take a look at Douglas in the Franklin trailer below.
The single most important diplomatic mission in the history of the United States will come to life in Franklin, with Academy Award-winner Michael Douglas stepping into the role of the famous historical figure. The eight-episode mini-series will follow Benjamin Franklin’s efforts to secure the assistance of France’s monarchy to ally with America during the burgeoning democracy’s earliest days. It was the mission of a lifetime for Franklin, as victory over Great Britain seemed doomed without help. Only, it almost cost him his own life. Here’s the show’s official synopsis from the streaming site:
At age 70, without any diplomatic training, Franklin convinced an absolute monarchy to underwrite America’s experiment in democracy. By virtue of his fame, charisma and ingenuity, Franklin outmaneuvered British spies, French informers and hostile colleagues to engineer the Franco-American alliance of 1778 and the peace treaty with Great Britain in 1783.
The show is based on Stacy Schiff’s book A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America. The series also stars Noah Jupe, Thibault de Montalembert, Daniel Mays, Ludivine Sagnier, Eddie Marsan, Assaad Bouab, Jeanne Balibar, and Theodore Pellerin.
Franklin arrives on its own television mission at Apple TV+ on Friday, April 12. It will debut with its first three episodes. A new installment will follow every Friday through May 17. That is unless we can find someone to convince Apple to release the show earlier. Which in this case would only be fitting.
