'Franklin' Cast & Character Guide Who Stars in the Apple TV+ Series?

While period pieces have always made for strong television and film projects, the impact they had on entertainment in 2023 continues in 2024. With releases like Masters of the Air, Napoleon, and the upcoming series Franklin, Apple TV+ has solidified itself as a master of historical drama. Directed by Timothy Van Patten (The Sopranos) and starring Academy Award winner Michael Douglas in the title role, the series will focus on a particular moment in Benjamin Franklin's political career, when, at the age of 70, he created the Franco-American Alliance during the American Revolution.

The eight-episode miniseries will dive into Franklin's time in France, and those he spent his days with while abroad. From neighbors to members of his own family, the inventor and politician's influence will be highlighted through his impact on the lives of those around him.

Emmy Award winner Kirk Ellis (John Adams) co-created the series alongside Howard Korder (Boardwalk Empire). Sure to bring incredible performances from its entire cast alongside Apple TV+'s signature high production value, Franklin premieres on April 12, 2024, on Apple TV+.

Franklin (2024)

Explores the story of one of the greatest gambles of Franklin's career. At age 70, Franklin outmaneuvered British spies and French informers while engineering the Franco-American alliance of 1778.

Michael Douglas

Benjamin Franklin

One of the most influential individuals of his time, Benjamin Franklin was one of the founders of the United States of America. Perhaps most famous for the invention of bifocals and educating the world about electricity, Franklin's life was a complicated one. With only two years of formal education, Franklin went on to publish his own newspaper, become a prolific inventor, and traveled the world.

One of the signatures on the Declaration of Independence, Franklin traveled the world throughout his political career, forming strong bonds with those he met along the way. The letters he wrote to those he met on his travels are largely preserved, letting historians continue to study the impact Franklin had not only on the fabric of the nation but on those he came to know. His complicated family life is a big piece of the focus in Franklin, as his grandson was a British loyalist, and Franklin himself had several extramarital affairs throughout his travels.

With an Academy Award winner like Michael Douglas taking on the role of Benjamin Franklin, audiences can be sure they're in for an incredible performance. Douglas has an incredible resume, including the films The Game, Basic Instinct, and Wall Street, the latter of the three landed him his first Academy Award. Douglas has also been a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, having played the role of Hank Pym in all three Ant-Man movies. This isn't Douglas' first television show either, having starred alongside the late Alan Arkin in the Netflix series The Kominsky Method. In addition to his work as an actor, Douglas is an accomplished producer of films like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Face/Off, and Flatliners.

Noah Jupe

Temple Franklin

While Benjamin Franklin's grandson, Temple Franklin, would go on to become a diplomat, Franklin focuses on Temple in his younger years. The son of William Franklin, Temple was conceived outside of William's marriage and put in foster care as a baby. Benjamin Franklin met his grandson when Temple was a toddler, and took the child under his care. It was after his grandfather brought him into the complicated world of politics that Temple himself took an interest in it.

During the height of the American Revolution, Temple traveled with Franklin to France and served as his secretary throughout the peace negotiations with Britain that resulted in the 1738 Treaty of Paris. Temple became enthralled with European politics and remained there, choosing not to continue his journey in American politics.

Noah Jupe has an extensive film career, best known for his role as Marcus Abbott in A Quiet Place and A Quiet Place Part II. His other acting credits include Ford v. Ferrari, Wonder, Honey Boy, No Sudden Move, and the HBO limited series The Undoing.

Eddie Marsan

John Adams

After serving two terms as George Washington's vice president, John Adams became the second President of the United States. Adams was instrumental in the country's independence from Great Britain. Before the American Revolution, Adams was a political activist and lawyer who strongly believed in being innocent until proven guilty and the right to counsel.

It was Adams who brought together the Committee of Five in charge of drafting the Declaration of Independence. One of Adam's picks for the task was Benjamin Franklin, whose views he agreed with when it came to America's succession from England. One of only two of the first twelve presidents to never own slaves, Adams is looked upon favorably by historians for his time in office.

Eddie Marsan has appeared in incredible films like Gangs of New York, V for Vendetta, Miami Vice, and the Sherlock Holmes films. Marsan's television credits include Crime and Punishment, Law & Order: UK, and Ray Donovan.

Daniel Mays

Edward Bancroft

American physician and chemist Edward Bancroft was best known for being a double agent. While serving as a secretary to the American commission in Paris during the American Revolutionary War, Bancroft spied for both the United States and Britain. While his life as a double agent wasn't revealed until the late 1800s, the information that Bancroft obtained was invaluable to those around him.

Daniel Mays has appeared in various high-profile movies such as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, 1917, and Atonement. His television credits include Temple, Good Omens, and EastEnders. Mays has also had a career in family films, including Nanny McPhee Returns, Chicken Run: The Dawn of the Nugget, and The Adventures of Tintin.

Ludivine Sagnier

Madame Brillon

Anne Louise Brillon de Jouy was a French composer and musician. Madame Brillon wrote almost ninety compositions in her life, mostly instrumental chamber music. Married to tax clerk Jacques Brillon de Jouy, Madame Brillon met Benjamin Franklin in 1777 when he moved to Paris as an American ambassador. The Brillon family would invite Franklin to their salon parties, which were considered intellectual parties consisting of music, food, and conversation. After Franklin returned to the United States in 1785, the two kept in touch, and their letters are preserved in the National Archives.

French actress Ludivine Saginer recently appeared in another period piece, Napoleon, alongside Joaquin Phoenix. Saginer's acting credits date back to 1989, and include Peter Pan, The New Pope, Lupin, and The Serpent Queen.

Thibault de Montalembert

Charles Gravier

A French statesman and diplomat, Charles Gravier served as the Foreign Minister during the reign of Louis XVI and the American War of Independence. While King Charles III of Spain wanted to mediate the dispute between America and England, Gravier agreed with Benjamin Franklin that France should enter the war on the American side. While his relationship with Franklin remained friendly, American peace commissioners like John Adams didn't trust Gravier's motives and looked for alliances elsewhere.

Thibault de Montalembert is a French film, television, and theater actor. While he is most known for his role in the French television series The Tunnel and Call My Agent!, his acting resume boasts projects like All Quiet on the Western Front, and the Netflix teen drama Heartstopper, where he plays Stéphane Nelson. Montalembert's extensive theater credits include The Winter's Tale, Hamlet, and Harold Pinter's Betrayal.

Marc Duret

Monsieur Brillon

Tax clerk Jacques Brillon de Jouy lived in Paris with his wife, Madame Brillon, when Benjamin Franklin moved to the city as the American ambassador in the late 1700s. Monsieur Brillon and his wife grew close to Franklin during his time in France, inviting him to the salons, or intellectual gatherings, that the family would host in their home. Like his wife, Brillon kept in touch with the ambassador after his departure from France, and his letters to Benjamin Franklin are preserved in the American Philosophical Library and the National Archives.

French actor Marc Duret has appeared in many short films, as well as a recurring role in the historical drama Outlander. A pro in historical dramas, Duret also appeared as Napoleon in a French TV series called Napoleon: The Russian Campaign.

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