Dev Patel to Play David Copperfield in a Film

Variety.com: Dev Patel is set to play David Copperfield in FilmNation’s new retelling of Charles Dickens’ “The Personal History of David Copperfield,” which will be directed and written by “Veep” creator Armando Iannucci.

The project will offer a modern take on Dickens’ title character as he navigates a chaotic world to find his elusive place within it. The original “David Copperfield” was first published in 1850 and describes the journey of the titular protagonist — who was modeled after Dickens himself, from impoverished childhood to becoming a successful author, thanks to perseverance and despite a lack of personal discipline.

Kevin Loader and Iannucci will produce the feature, which was developed with FilmNation. He is directing a script he wrote with Simon Blackwell.

Iannucci and Blackwell previously collaborated with Tony Roche and Jesse Armstrong on the script for 2009’s “In the Loop,” which received an Academy Award nomination.

Iannucci created HBO’s political comedy “Veep” as an adaptation of his British sitcom, “The Thick of It” and was the “Veep” showrunner for the first four seasons, from 2012 to 2015. He directed the 2017 feature film “The Death of Stalin” and co-wrote the script with David Schneider, Ian Martin, and Peter Fellows.

Patel is coming off his Oscar-nominated role in “Lion.” His directorial debut, “Home Shopper,” premiered at Sundance. He is currently filming “The Wedding Guest” for Sony Pictures.

He is repped by WME, Curtis Brown, Magnolia Entertainment, and Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Adler and Feldman.