Last month, along with the news that Veep would be renewed for a fifth season, HBO broke with it the bummer addendum that showrunner Armando Iannucci would not be returning to helm it, and that frequent Curb Your Enthusiasm collaborator David Mandel would be stepping into the role.
Iannucci cited the difficulty of running a show based in the US while trying to raise a family in the UK as a main factor, so it should come as no surprise to hear that his next project will be a feature film taking place somewhat closer than Washington, DC—Russia.
An adaptation of Fabien Nury’s two-volume graphic novel by the same name, The Death of Stalin begins around the time of Joseph Stalin’s death in 1953, and covers the funeral and subsequent chaotic aftermath of the notoriously convoluted post-war state.
It doesn’t sound particularly funny, but Iannucci has described the project as “sort of a comedy,” so it seems we’re at least in for a litany of colorful Russian insults, as well as probably a few quick-mouthed weasel-y characters claiming to have killed the Soviet Union leader themselves (the official cause of death was a stroke, but it’s been heavily suggested that he was likely assassinated because Russia).
Shooting is scheduled to begin in 2016.
Read our cover story VEEP: Off the Record with All the President’s Men.
(via The A.V. Club)
