New HBO comedy from The Thick of It creator and James Bond director sees a superhero movie set in chaos in hilarious first trailer

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The first trailer for The Franchise, the new show from The Thick of It creator Armando Iannucci, Skyfall director Sam Mendes, and Jon Brown, is here – and the HBO satire has set its sights on superhero franchises.

"Everything's exploding at a million miles per hour and the movie is a scrotum resting on a razor's edge," says Daniel, played by Yesterday's Himesh Patel, as the trailer starts, implying that things are off to a promising start on the set of this particular movie.

Following the ups and downs (but mostly, it seems, the downs) behind the scenes, Daniel and his production team are plagued by fires, insecure actors, and the wrath of studio bosses – as well as personal problems, in the case of Daniel's impending divorce.

Billy Magnussen and Richard E. Grant play two of the superhero movie's stars, and the cast also includes MCU alum Daniel Brühl, Ghosts' Lolly Adefope, The Boys' Aya Cash, Ozark's Darren Goldstein, and Spaced's Jessica Hynes.

Iannucci is best known for creating shows like Veep and The Thick of It, as well as directing the movies The Death of Stalin and The Personal History of David Copperfield. Mendes, who's helmed movies like Skyfall, Spectre, and 1917, directed the pilot episode of The Franchise, while showrunner Brown penned the script.

The Franchise arrives on October 6 on Max in the US and October 21 on NOW in the UK. In the meantime, check out our picks of the other best new TV shows still coming our way this year.