The Thick of It creator is making a new comedy set in space – could Peter Capaldi star?
Interstellar Malcolm Tucker anyone?
Armando Iannucci – the man behind Veep, The Thick of It and its spin-off movie In The Loop – is about to launch a new comedy in space.
Under the working title Avenue 5, the HBO pilot will be written and executive produced by the comedy creator. Set in the future and mainly off Earth, it’ll be filmed in London in 2018.
Who’s starring? The cast hasn’t yet been revealed, but if Iannucci was looking for a familiar actor for another cursed-filled comedy, one accustomed to intergalactic adventures then we’ve got one idea: Peter Capaldi. A Malcolm Tucker/The Doctor hybrid would be perfect.
And it really could happen: in an interview in August, Capaldi said, “I think I’m going to be working with Armando next year." Has Iannucci already got a role for the outgoing Time Lord?
Avenue 5 marks Iannucci’s first TV project since hit US show Veep, which he left after season four. The comedy has picked up a stream of Emmys, including a record six for lead actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
But before Avenue 5 starts filming, we’ll be treated to Iannucci’s upcoming film: The Death of Stalin, out October 20th. The satire will follow – you guessed it – the events in Soviet Russia after the death of despot Joseph Stalin. It’s funnier than it sounds…
