Glasgow actor James McAvoy is set to star in a new conspiracy thriller written and directed by fellow Glaswegian Armando Iannucci.
McAvoy will appear alongside Oscar winner Alicia Vikander and Taron Egerton in the as-yet untitled film. It will mark the first time any of the three actors have worked with the creator of The Thick of It and Veep.
Iannucci will write and direct the project, returning to the big screen for his first feature as director since The Personal History of David Copperfield in 2019.
The film is being taken to the American Film Market in November, where FilmNation and UTA are handling international sales. BAFTA-winning producer Kevin Loader, a long-time Iannucci collaborator, will produce.
Loader previously worked with Iannucci on In the Loop, The Death of Stalin and The Personal History of David Copperfield, as well as the HBO comedy Avenue 5.
Armando Iannucci
McAvoy grew up in Drumchapel in Glasgow before going on to international success in films including Atonement, The Last King of Scotland, Split and the X-Men series, where he played the younger Charles Xavier.
He has more recently moved behind the camera, making his feature directing debut with California Schemin’, based on the true story of Scottish rappers Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd, who posed as Americans in an attempt to break into the music industry.
Iannucci was also born in Springburn, also in the north Glasgow and established himself as one of the UK’s most influential political satirists.
He created The Thick of It featuring sweary political fixer Malcolm Tucker, played by Peter Capaldi, before going on to create the acclaimed US political comedy Veep.
His film work has included In the Loop, The Death of Stalin and The Personal History of David Copperfield. His screenplay for In the Loop earned an Academy Award nomination.
Iannucci has also been recruited to work on the screenplay for Paddington 4 alongside long-time collaborator Simon Blackwell, which may reunite him with Capaldi, who has been part of the ensemble cast for the last three films.
His new project is a move into new territory with a cinematic staple of a conspiracy thriller.
Elsewhere in the cast, Vikander won the best supporting actress Oscar for The Danish Girl, while Egerton is known for Kingsman and his portrayal of Elton John in Rocketman.