Armando Iannucci (creator of Veep) is doing a remake of the Charles Dickens’ favorite David Copperfield and the film has gained a new star, Dev Patel.

The book, David Copperfield, which was originally published in 1850, is loosely based on Dickens’ own childhood and focuses on themes of resilience and perseverance. Knowing Iannucci’s work, which also includes last year’s comedy The Death of Stalin, it will be interesting to see his unique and possibly comedic take on the novel.

Dev Patel was recently nominated for an Academy Award for his role in Lion, which made him the third Indian actor to have ever been nominated for the award. The previous nomination for an actor of Indian decent was Ben Kingsley 13 years ago for his role in House of Sand and Fog. Patel is currently filming The Wedding Guest for Sony Pictures and he recently made his directorial debut with the film Home Shopper, which premiered at Sundance.