Franklin, which has Michael Douglas as Ben Franklin, on a secret mission to France, trying to convince the French to help the desperate Americans in the Revolutionary War, premieres on Apple TV Plus Friday, April 12.
Based on Stacy Schiff’s book, A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America, the limited series depicts a side of Ben Franklin many are not familiar with. When Richard Plepler mentioned the idea to him, Tim Van Patten, executive producer and director, said he knew about Franklin and his electricity experiments and writing and publishing background, but not a whole lot more. “I realized I didn’t have a great depth of knowledge about him, probably what most of us had growing up,” he said.
