Dev Patel will feature as David Copperfield in the film adaptation of Charles Dickens’s novel of the same name, Variety reported. The film will be directed by Veep creator Armando Iannucci from a script he wrote with Simon Blackwell.
Iannucci will reportedly adapt the semi-autobiographical book into a contemporary setting for his film. Dickens’s novel narrates the journey of the titular character from an impoverished, neglected and mistreated young boy to a rich and successful author seeking happiness and companionship. David Copperfield has been adapted on several occasions before, including silent films, television series, and animated films.
The upcoming adaptation will be co-produced by Kevin Loader and Iannucci, who previously collaborated with Tony Roche and Jesse Armstrong on the script for Academy award-nominated drama In the Loop (2009).
Patel was last seen in Garth Davis’s Lion (2017), for which he received an Academy award nomination. His directorial debut Home Shopper was screened at the Sundance festival earlier this year. Patel is currently filming Michael Winterbottom’s next film The Wedding Guest.