Dev Patel To Star In ‘David Copperfield’ Movie From ‘Veep’ Creator
Armando Iannuccialready has hisDeath of Stalinfollow-up planned. TheVeepcreator will next helm aDavid Copperfieldmovie movie that updates the classic Charles Dickens novel in present day. And now Iannucci has his leading man:Dev Patel.The Death of Stalinis one of the funniest movies of the last few years, and it’s just the latest pitch-perfect, pitch-black comedy from Armando Iannucci. Iannucci, who helmed the hilariousIn the Loopand created the hit HBO seriesVeep, already has his next project lined up: a modern-day retelling of Charles Dickens’David CopperfieldtitledThe Personal History of David Copperfield.Varietynow reports that the newCopperfieldhas found its star: Dev Patel. Patel was last seen inLion, and has appeared in films likeSlumdog Millionaireand Film Twitter favoriteChappie.
The title for Iannucci’s updatedCopperfieldlikely comes from the full, wordy title of Dickens' book:The Personal History, Adventures, Experience and Observation of David Copperfield the Younger of Blunderstone Rookery (Which He Never Meant to Publish on Any Account).It was Dickens' eighth novel, and was regarded by the author as the favorite of his books. Here’s the synopsis of the novel, from the Penguin Classic edition:
David Copperfieldis the novel Dickens regarded as his ‘favourite child’ and is considered his most autobiographical. As David recounts his experience from childhood to the discovery of his vocation as a successful novelist, Dickens draws openly and revealingly on his own life. Among the gloriously vivid cast of characters are David’s tyrannical stepfather, Mr Murdstone; his brilliant, but ultimately unworthy, school-friend Steerforth; his formidable aunt, Betsey Trotwood; the eternally humble, yet treacherous Uriah Heep; frivolous, enchanting Dora; and the magnificently impecunious Micawber, one of literature’s great comic creations.
Iannucci wrote the script forThe Personal History of David CopperfieldwithSimon Blackwell. Blackwell and Iannucci have previously worked together onVeep,In the Loop, andThe Thick of It. This new take onCopperfieldwas first announced back in2015. At that time, Christine Langan, head of BBC Films,said:
“It’s an amazing story and Armando Iannucci is hugely passionate about it. He has a very fresh way of tackling it. He is a Dickens aficionado, so he wants it to be very authentic but it will have his own sensitivity.”
When asked about the project last year, Iannuccisaid:
“I’m going to be very true to the spirit of the book and use as much of Dickens' dialogue as possible, but I want it to feel very contemporary.”
