The Personal History of David Copperfield, a new take on Charles Dickens's classic novel, will open the BFI London Film Festival on October 2, Variety reported. Armando Iannucci (Veep, In the Loop, The Death of Stalin) directed the project from a screenplay he co-wrote with his frequent collaborator Simon Blackwell. The cast includes Dev Patel, Tilda Swinton, Hugh Laurie, Peter Capaldi, Ben Whishaw, Paul Whitehouse and Gwendoline Christie.
Iannucci called The Personal History of David Copperfield "a film about compassion, humor, generosity and friendship, and I couldn't have asked for a more welcoming setting in which to premiere it."