According to a recent exclusive report by Variety, English actor Dev Patel will be featured as David Copperfield in the film adaptation of Charles Dickens’s novel of the same title. The film will be directed by Armando Iannucci from a script he co-written with Simon Blackwell.
Iannucci will reportedly adapt the famous book into a contemporary setting for this film. Dickens’s original novel “David Copperfield” was first published in 1850 which narrates the journey of its titular character, who was modelled after Dickens himself, from an impoverished, neglected and mistreated young boy to a rich and successful author seeking happiness and companionship.
David Copperfield has been adapted numerous times before, including silent films, television series, and animated films.
The upcoming adaptation film 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) and received an Academy award nomination. His directorial debut “Home Shopper” was screened at the 2018 Sundance film festival and currently busy filming Michael Winterbottom’s next film “The Wedding Guest” for Sony Pictures.
Iannucci created HBO’s popular political comedy “Veep.” He directed the 2017 feature film “The Death of Stalin” and co-wrote the script with David Schneider, Ian Martin, and Peter Fellows.
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
