Michael Douglas Takes On Playing Benjamin Franklin a Second Time in New Apple TV+ Limited Series
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Michael Douglas will play Benjamin Franklin in a new limited series for Apple TV+. The show is penned by Kirk Ellis, who had previously won an Emmy for writing the "John Adams" limited series, and is an adaptation of Pulitzer Prize winner Stacy Schiff's book "A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America."
Following the famed founding father, the new Apple TV+ series will follow Franklin's efforts to enlist the French's help during the Revolutionary War during a diplomatic mission that was beset by "British spies, French informers and hostile colleagues." A septuagenarian at the time, the witty scientist, inventor, printer, publisher, and general all-rounder had no diplomatic training at the time.
However, he managed to broker a deal that led to Franco-American alliance of 1778 and the final peace with England of 1783. Without Franklin's efforts, it was highly doubtful that the American colonists would've ultimately won the Revolutionary War and gained independence. Other details are scarce, including the title, so we'll have to see what exactly the series will choose to cover.
Interestingly enough, Douglas, who is both an Oscar and Emmy winner, had previously played Franklin by voicing him in PBS' 2003 series "Freedom: A History of US." We're excited to see what he will bring to the role this time as he fully embodies the founding father as he sets to pull off one of his greatest feats.
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