Tilda Swinton and Hugh Laurie join David Copperfield movie

Tilda Swinton and Hugh Laurie will appear in a new take on Charles Dickens’ book David Copperfield.
The British stars will take lead roles in The Death of Stalin director Armando Iannucci’s next major project, to be titled The Personal History of David Copperfield, according to Variety.
Swinton and Laurie will join Lion actor Dev Patel, who has been cast as the titular character in the film, which will tell the tale of an orphan who is able to triumph over many obstacles. It is not yet known what roles Swinton and Laurie will take.
Spectre star Ben Whishaw has also been cast in the movie, as has Morfydd Clark, Anthony Welsh, Rosalind Eleazar and Dunkirk actor Aneurin Barnard.
The original David Copperfield was Dickens’ eighth novel and follows the central figure’s life and adventures, as well as the web of friends and enemies he makes along his way.
First published in 1850, it is believed that much of the content was modelled on events that occurred in Dickens’ own life, and it is often considered to be a veiled autobiography.
Iannucci will direct the film based on a script he wrote with Simon Blackwell, who has also penned scripts for TV shows such as Veep and Trying Again.
Shooting on the The Personal History of David Copperfield is due to kick off in June (18) in the United Kingdom, though a potential release date has yet to be set.
Swinton, who won an Oscar for her performance in 2007 film Michael Clayton, has just finished promoting Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs, in which she voiced a character, and recently wrapped on shooting Luca Guadagnino’s Suspiria.
While former House star Laurie was last seen onscreen in TV series Chance and is currently in pre-production on miniseries Catch-22, an adaptation of the classic Joseph Heller novel.