Michael Douglas Makes American History With Franklin Series
Apple TV+ has scheduled the launch of the new limited series, Franklin, starring Michael Douglas. The Academy Award winner and the winner of the AFI Lifetime Achievements Award will chronicle Benjamin Franklin’s 1776 trip to France, where one of the Founding Fathers persuaded an absolute monarchy to aid America’s War of Independence.
“Diplomacy must never be a siege, but a seduction.”
Michael Douglas as Benjamin Franklin in Franklin
The series is set in the mid-1770s, with America at a tipping point, with its future lying in Benjamin Franklin’s hands. Michael Douglas’ Franklin will follow the 79-year-old actor as he brings Benjamin Franklin to life and documents the Founding Father’s journey to France. The upcoming series, scheduled to release on Apple TV+ on April 12, is an episode adaptation of Stacy Schiff’s book A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America, which recounts Benjamin Franklin’s journey.
Franklin, starring Michael Douglas as the Founding Father, premieres on Apple TV+ on April 12.
The United States probably wouldn’t be the same were it not for the help of the French, who aided us in the Revolutionary War. In fact, it’s a well-known fact that the 13 colonies wouldn’t have had France’s help at all if Benjamin Franklin hadn’t masterminded the Franco-American Alliance of 1778. What’s interesting is that Franklin, who was 70 at the time, did so by virtue of fame, charisma, and ingenuity and without any diplomatic training. So, it’s arguable that Michael Douglas’ Franklin is about the single most important diplomatic mission in US history.
Benjamin Franklin’s journey lasted nearly nine years; after traveling to France and securing the Franco-American Alliance of 1778, Franklin remained in France until 1785, and for most of that time, he worked tirelessly to secure French support for the American Revolutionary War. He played a key role in negotiating various treaties and agreements between France and the burgeoning United States, and his efforts resulted in 1783’s signing of the Treaty of Paris. After all, as Micheal Douglas Franklin said, “Diplomacy must never be a siege, but a seduction.”
The journey to the Treaty of Paris wasn’t an easy one, and Franklin had to outmaneuver British spies, hostile colleagues, and French informers to secure not just the Franco-American Alliance but the Treaty of Paris, as well.
This very line offers plenty of excitement, as it promises that the upcoming series doesn’t just revolve around Franklin’s journey and political negotiations but also about all the excitements hidden behind the facades of civility. The journey to the Treaty of Paris wasn’t an easy one, and Franklin had to outmaneuver British spies, hostile colleagues, and French informers to secure not just the Franco-American Alliance but the Treaty of Paris, as well. Unfortunately, Apple is still good at keeping stuff under wraps, so no other details about Michael Douglas’ Franklin are known.
All we know so far is the release date, the fact that the series will depict the eight years Franklin spent in France, and the cast, which, besides Michael Douglas as Franklin, also stars Noah Jupe as Temple Franklin, Daniel Mays as Edward Bancroft, Assaad Bouab as Beaumarchais, Jeanne Balibar as Madame Helvetius, and Théodore Pellerin as Marquis de Lafayette. As stated above, the show will debut on April 12 with three opening episodes, and a new installment will follow every Friday through May 17.
