Michael Douglas leads a new Apple TV+ series as US founder and inventor Benjamin Franklin. The Oscar-winning actress will star in the iconic story of one of history’s greatest minds in the Apple TV Plus series, based on Pulitzer Prize winner Stacy Schiff’s book “A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France and the Birth of America.”
The series will be written by Kirk Ellis, a no stranger to the era, who wrote the John Adams miniseries for HBO in 2008 and won an Emmy for producing it. Emmy winner Tim Van Patten (Boardwalk Empire, The Sopranos) will sit in the director’s chair. Douglas and Schiff will also serve as executive producers. According to a press release, the drama will explore “the exciting story of one of the biggest gambles of Benjamin Franklin’s career.”
The series will show how a 70-year-old Franklin, without any diplomatic training, persuaded France’s absolute monarchy to secure America’s little experiment in democracy. “Franklin, thanks to his fame, charisma, and creativity, outstripped British spies, French informants, and hostile colleagues,” the statement said. he continues.
Douglas is no stranger to playing iconic figures. He previously voiced Franklin in the 2003 PBS miniseries Freedom: A History of US. The most important historical figure Douglas has played to date has been Liberace in Behind the Candelabra. Sure, the flamboyant pianist Liberace and the respected statesman Franklin may not seem like they have much in common, but they both understood the importance of showmanship. There is no word yet on when the series will debut on the broadcaster.
