One of the greatest writers in history, Charles Dickens will now have another one of his books turned into a film in the form of “The Personal History of David Copperfield.” The director, Armando Iannucci, best known for his film “The Death Of Stalin” as well as directing the British TV series “I’m Alan Partridge,” is now bringing the vision of Dickens to life with what was probably one of his best books, “David Copperfield.”
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Iannucci spoke to Deadline about why he wanted to do a film based on a Dickens novel, particularly David Copperfield. He said, “He’s such a great writer,” then said, “and I’ve never seen a Dickens adaptation that has celebrated the language, the dialogue, and the comedy. Really, everything is too reverential.”
He went on to say, “The book has such a contemporary resonance,” and continued, “It’s such a personal, humane film, really, and it just spoke to me. Dickens writes so cinematically anyway, and as I was reading it, I thought, ‘This is the film I want to make.’”
The film will star Dev Patel (Oscar-winning “Slumdog Millionaire”) as Copperfield, Iannucci knew that he wanted Patel to play Copperfield. Saying, “I remember it was actually when I saw “Lion” [that I thought of him]. Because I’d seen Dev be funny and awkward. But when I watched ‘Lion,’ I thought, ‘That’s David Copperfield. There’s David.’”
While Patel will be the main attraction, Iannucci has managed to squeeze in the likes of Tilda Swinton (“Dr. Strange”), Gwendoline Christie (“Game Of Thrones”), Hugh Laurie (“The Night Manager“), Ben Whishaw (“Bright Star“) and Peter Capaldi (“Doctor Who”). That’s a pretty all-star cast when you think about it.
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Here is the synopsis:
‘THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD’ chronicles the life of its iconic title character as he navigates a chaotic world to find his elusive place within it. From his unhappy childhood to the discovery of his gift as a storyteller and writer, David’s journey is by turns hilarious and tragic, but always full of life, color, and humanity.
The film releases on January 10, 2020, in the UK, with a U.S. date to be announced presumably soon. Watch the new trailer below.
