Michael Douglas to Star as Benjamin Franklin in Upcoming Apple TV+ Series

Apple today announced a new Benjamin Franklin show that is set to star award winning actor Michael Douglas as the titular character. The limited drama series is based on the book "A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America" by Stacy Schiff.

apple tv plus banner
According to Apple's description of the as-of-yet untitled TV series, it will explore the "thrilling story of one of the greatest gambles of Benjamin Franklin's career."

The drama will explore the thrilling story of one of the greatest gambles of Benjamin Franklin's career. At age 70, without any diplomatic training, Franklin convinced France - 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, all while engineering the Franco-American alliance of 1778 and the final peace treaty with England of l783. The eight-year French mission stands as Franklin's most vital service to his country, without which America would not have won the Revolution.

The show will be written and executive produced by Kirk Ellis, who has also worked on an Anne Frank TV mini series and a mini series about John Adams. It will be directed by Tim Van Patten, who has worked on "Game of Thrones," "The Sopranos," "The Wire," and "Black Mirror."

Apple TV+ is priced at $4.99 per month, but Apple provides three months of free access with the purchase of an Apple device (which is a one-time deal). The service has been available since November 2020, and Apple has now accumulated several hit TV shows and movies including "Ted Lasso," "CODA," "For All Mankind," and more.

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Rumored to Use Same Rear Chassis as iPhone 16

Friday July 19, 2024 7:16 am PDT by
Apple will adopt the same rear chassis manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 that it is using for the upcoming standard iPhone 16, claims a new rumor coming out of China. According to the Weibo-based leaker "Fixed Focus Digital," the backplate manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 is "exactly the same" as the standard model in Apple's upcoming iPhone 16 lineup, which is expected to...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Just Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Monday July 15, 2024 4:44 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
bsod

Crowdstrike Says Global IT Outage Impacting Windows PCs, But Mac and Linux Hosts Not Affected

Friday July 19, 2024 3:12 am PDT by
A widespread system failure is currently affecting numerous Windows devices globally, causing critical boot failures across various industries, including banks, rail networks, airlines, retailers, broadcasters, healthcare, and many more sectors. The issue, manifesting as a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), is preventing computers from starting up properly and forcing them into continuous recovery...
iphone 14 lineup

Cellebrite Unable to Unlock iPhones on iOS 17.4 or Later, Leak Reveals

Thursday July 18, 2024 4:18 am PDT by
Israel-based mobile forensics company Cellebrite is unable to unlock iPhones running iOS 17.4 or later, according to leaked documents verified by 404 Media. The documents provide a rare glimpse into the capabilities of the company's mobile forensics tools and highlight the ongoing security improvements in Apple's latest devices. The leaked "Cellebrite iOS Support Matrix" obtained by 404 Media...
Apple Watch Series 9

2024 Apple Watch Lineup: Key Changes We're Expecting

Tuesday July 16, 2024 7:59 am PDT by
Apple is seemingly planning a rework of the Apple Watch lineup for 2024, according to a range of reports from over the past year. Here's everything we know so far. Apple is expected to continue to offer three different Apple Watch models in five casing sizes, but the various display sizes will allegedly grow by up to 12% and the casings will get taller. Based on all of the latest rumors,...
tinypod apple watch

TinyPod Turns Your Apple Watch Into an iPod

Wednesday July 17, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
If you have an old Apple Watch and you're not sure what to do with it, a new product called TinyPod might be the answer. Priced at $79, the TinyPod is a silicone case with a built-in scroll wheel that houses the Apple Watch chassis. When an Apple Watch is placed inside the TinyPod, the click wheel on the case is able to be used to scroll through the Apple Watch interface. The feature works...

Top Rated Comments

DeepIn2U Avatar
31 months ago

Michael Douglas, Benjamin Franklin and Apple TV. That entire headline is stuffed full of yawn inducing boringness.
I beg to differ Michael Douglas is quite an amazing actor it’s a possibility you might see something a little more familiar or maybe even completely new all depends upon the production screen right play as well as direction
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lazyrighteye Avatar
31 months ago

Michael Douglas, Benjamin Franklin and Apple TV. That entire headline is stuffed full of yawn inducing boringness.
While it's certainly no Fast & Furious 11: Look Whose Furiouser, Douglas can act and Franklin was a pretty interesting dude. Has potential. I'll check it out.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CrapShack Avatar
31 months ago
Since I'm obsessed with history, I've always wished we had the same interest in our history as the British do for theirs. Thanks to YouTube and other sites I've discovered fascinating series like "The Devil's Crown," "Shadow of the Tower," "The Six Wives of Henry VIII," "Elizabeth R," "Fall of Eagles," "Edward the Seventh" etc etc. HBO had a great show with "John Adams" a few years ago and I'm very much looking forward to this series about Benjamin Franklin... who certainly had enough of a "truth is stranger than fiction" kind of life to justify it.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Unity451 Avatar
31 months ago
They should've gone with Andy Daly instead. I'd watch that.

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Corsig Avatar
31 months ago
I’d watch this
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
banfiz Avatar
31 months ago
I am fed with the incorrect use of the word Titular. In what way does Benjamin Franklin hold a purely formal role without any real authority????????

Attachment Image
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)