Daniel Bruhl Charts His Journey From Marvel to a Satire About Franchises

Like many an auteur darling, German-Spanish star Daniel Bruhl rode waves of festival acclaim to a lofty perch as a Hollywood heavy. He brought a certain European aplomb to his turn in baddie roles that included Marvel Cinematic Universe mastermind Baron Zemo in the 2016 film “Captain America: Civil War” and the 2021 Disney+ series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.”

Now, for his next step – a phase the 46-year-old jokingly labels his “midlife crisis” – Bruhl wants to change gears. That begins with a role as a fashion icon in Disney’s French-language bio-series “Becoming Karl Lagerfeld” and continues with an even more improbable put-on once the actor portrays what he says is the “alter ego” of director Sam Mendes for HBO’s “The Franchise.”