Michael Douglas signs his next, a series on Benjamin Franklin
Michael Douglas has signed his next, a limited Apple TV+ series. The veteran actor, last seen in Avengers: Endgame as Hank Pym, has been roped in to portray the role of Benjamin Franklin in the upcoming show. Besides playing the main part, the Academy Award and Golden Globe-awardee is also attached to the project as its executive producer. Its release date isn't out yet.
What do we know of the series so far?
Kirk Ellis (writer of miniseries John Adams), Tim Van Patten, Richard Plepler, Tony Krantz, and Mark Mostyn will also be the other executive producers of the show. The series will be penned by Ellis, while Patten is set to helm it. Makers will adapt Pulitzer Prize winner Stacy Schiff's A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America for the drama.
What is the possible plot of the series?
The series will explore "the story of one of the greatest gambles of Franklin's career." "By virtue of his fame, charisma, and ingenuity, Franklin outmaneuvered British spies, French informers, and hostile colleagues, all while engineering the Franco-American alliance of 1778 and the final peace with England of 1783. The eight-year French mission stands as Franklin's most vital service to his country," reads its synopsis.
Franklin's life isn't untouched on celluloid
ITV Studios America and Apple Studios are the producers of this series. Notably, Ellis has worked on Franklin in two others projects, too. His miniseries for HBO titled John Adams had Tom Wilkinson essaying the role, while in History's Sons of Liberty, Dean Norris (Breaking Bad) donned Franklin's hat. Orson Welles had also essayed Franklin twice, in Royal Affairs in Versailles and La Payette.
Douglas stood in solidarity with Ukraine at SAG Awards recently
Apart from his professional life, Douglas also hit headlines for taking a stand in support of Ukraine at the 28th edition of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards that was held on Sunday. He had donned a formal suit and wore a blue-yellow pocket square resembling Ukraine's flag. "This is an acknowledgment of what's going on in Ukraine," he had said of his gesture.
This is why Douglas wore the pocket square
"It's (Ukraine) just an extraordinary democracy and if ever there's a reason to realize that the separation between democracy and autocracy or dictatorship, is now, we have seemed to forgotten that, hopefully, this is a reminder of how valuable that is," Douglas further told portals.
