Scheduled for 2020 Theatrical Release
Fox Searchlight Pictures announced that it has acquired North American rights to writer, producer and director Armando Iannucci’s dazzlingly inventive and reimagined take on one of literature’s most triumphant masterpieces, THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD, starring Dev Patel, Tilda Swinton, Hugh Laurie, Peter Capaldi, Ben Whishaw, Paul Whitehouse, Aneurin Barnard, Daisy May Cooper, Morfydd Clark, Benedict Wong, Gwendoline Christie, Anthony Welsh and Rosalind Eleazar. The film is produced by Iannucci and Kevin Loader (THE LADY IN THE VAN; MY COUSIN RACHEL) and was financed by FilmNation Entertainment and Film4. It will have its world premiere at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival on September 5, 2019 and open the BFI London Film Festival on October 2, 2019. FilmNation Entertainment is handling international sales. The film is scheduled for a theatrical release in 2020.
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. Iannucci (IN THE LOOP; THE DEATH OF STALIN; HBO’s VEEP) and co-writer Simon Blackwell (IN THE LOOP; HBO’s SUCCESSION) 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.
“Armando Iannucci is a wonderfully original filmmaker and expert storyteller; he brings his irreverent and imaginative take to this iconic and beloved story,” said Fox Searchlight Chairmen Nancy Utley and Steve Gilula. “As for Dev, he has consistently impressed since his unforgettable breakout roles in SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE and THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL. With his warmth, humor and diversity of roles throughout his career, it is particularly rewarding to see him lead such a spectacular ensemble in this film.”
THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD marks a reunion for Patel, Swinton and producer Kevin Loader with Searchlight. Patel previously starred in SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL and THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL with the studio, and Swinton has appeared in THE DEEP END, THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, A BIGGER SPLASH and ISLE OF DOGS. Loader served as producer on MY COUSIN RACHEL.
“We are so pleased that Fox Searchlight’s early enthusiasm for this movie has paid off, and we’re excited by their plans to bring it to as wide an audience as possible in North America. We’re all proud of this film, and with Fox Searchlight, we have the right fit: we can’t wait to get started,” said Iannucci and Loader.
Iannucci’s third feature-length film, THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD follows his celebrated satires IN THE LOOP and THE DEATH OF STALIN. He once again teams with some of his career collaborators, including composer Christopher Willis, cinematographer Zac Nicholson, casting director Sarah Crowe, production designer Cristina Casaldi and editor Peter Lambert.