In a new limited series for Apple TV+, Michael Douglas will play U.S. Founding Father Benjamin Franklin. The untitled series is based on Pulitzer Prize winner Stacy Schiff’s book “A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America.” Kirk Ellis, the creator of HBO’s “John Adams” series, will write and executive produce the project for Apple.

Tim Van Patten, an Emmy Award-winning director, will direct and executive produce the film. In addition to acting, Douglas will executive produce the film.

EDEN Productions, which is currently under an overall arrangement with Apple, will executive produce with Richard Plepler. Flame Ventures’ Tony Krantz and Mark Mostyn also executive produce, with Schiff serving as co-executive producer. Apple Studios and ITV Studios will collaborate on the project.

The series will tell the story of one of Franklin’s most daring bets in his career. Franklin persuaded France, an absolute monarchy, to back America’s democratic experiment at the age of 70, despite having no diplomatic training.

Franklin outmaneuvered British spies, French informers, and unfriendly colleagues thanks to his popularity, charisma, and resourcefulness, all while organizing the Franco-American alliance of 1778 and the eventual peace with England in 1783. Franklin’s eight-year French mission is regarded as his most important contribution to his country, without which America might not have won the Revolutionary War.

Source: Apple TV+