'Veep' creator's 'David Copperfield' film finds distributor
Dev Patel stars in “The Personal History of David Copperfield.” Courtesy of Lionsgate UK
Fox Searchlight has acquired the North American distribution rights to Armando Iannucci's latest film, “The Personal History of David Copperfield,” before its Toronto International Film Festival premiere, the company said Thursday.
Based on Charles Dickens' David Copperfield, the film stars Dev Patel as David, Tilda Swinton as Betsey Trotwood, Hugh Laurie as Mr. Dick, Peter Capaldi as Mr. Micawber, Ben Whishaw as Uriah Heep, Aneurin Barnard as Steerforth, Morfydd Clark as Dor, Benedict Wong as Mr. Wickfield, Gwendoline Christie as Jane Murdstone, Anthony Welsh as Ham, Sophie McShera as Mrs. Crupp and Rosalind Eleazar as Agnes. Paul Whitehouse and Daisy May Cooper also play roles.
“The Personal History of David Copperfield” is the third film for “Veep” creator Iannucci, following “In the Loop” and “The Death of Stalin.” Iannucci directed, co-wrote with Simon Blackwell and produced.
"'The Personal History of David Copperfield' masterfully tells the story of Charles Dickens' remarkable character David Copperfield, giving the tale new life for a cosmopolitan age with a diverse ensemble cast of stage and screen actors from across the world," Searchlight said.
"Iannucci and co-writer Simon Blackwell have crafted a story of a man whose rogue spirit carries him through a colorful life of poverty and opulence. The film follows David, a burgeoning young writer, from orphaned infancy to adulthood as he befriends a collection of eccentric characters on a journey of love, acceptance and self-discovery in Victorian England."
The TIFF premiere is set for Sept. 5. The film will also open the BFI London Film Festival on Oct. 2. Searchlight will release “The Personal History of David Copperfield” in 2020. (UPI)