Now this is a package. Per Deadline, Armando Iannucci will write and direct a new film headed to the market, with James McAvoy, Alicia Vikander and Taron Egerton set to star. None of the three has worked with Iannucci before.
Plot details are being kept under wraps. All we know is that it's being pitched as a "conspiracy thriller." That's a detour for Iannucci, who is best known for satire, although I suspect there will be satirical elements. Then again, conspiracy has always been part of his work, just played as comedy.
In recent years, Iannucci has run into walls getting projects off the ground. Last fall, he revealed he'd struggled to raise money for a Trump-related project. He also said UK projects are in flux because of Trump's tariff threats, with American financiers holding off to see how things play out.
He has also said he needed time away from filmmaking to make sure his next film felt like the right one, and that committing to a series probably means no new film for a few years. That explains a lot about the long wait.
One project he was definitely trying to get going was "Growth." Back in October 2024, Riz Ahmed was leading the cast, with an early 2025 shoot being eyed in London. The synopsis I'd gathered centered on the founder of a Snapchat-like social media platform dealing with explosive growth and a devastating leak of users' private content. Viola Davis and Bradley Cooper had also been rumored for months to be part of the cast. A year later, as far as I know, cameras still haven't rolled. There is, however, a possibility that this mystery McAvoy, Vikander and Egerton project is in fact "Growth."
His last film, "The Personal History of David Copperfield," came out in 2019. Since then, he's done "Avenue 5" for HBO, written his satirical play "Pandemonium" and worked on a stage version of "Dr. Strangelove." All worthy pursuits, but seven years is way too long a gap for one of the best political satirists working today.
Iannucci is, of course, the creator of HBO's "Veep." He's also dabbled in political film satire with acclaimed works such as 2009's "In the Loop" and 2017's "The Death of Stalin." It'll be interesting to see what he's got cooking with McAvoy, Vikander and Egerton.
Firing back at critics is nothing new, but calling an entire profession “failed artists” who belong "in the bin" is hilarious, and wildly unhinged.