‘Veep’ Creator Armando Iannucci to Direct Satirical Film About Josef Stalin

Armando Iannucci recently stepped down from his showrunning duties on HBO’s Veep, but he’s just lined up his next film project, a long-awaited follow-up to 2009's In the Loop. And like his previous efforts, The Death of Stalin will find Iannucci working as Iannucci works best: in the realm of politics.

Variety reports that Iannucci’s next project is The Death of Stalin (aka A Morte De Stalin), based on Fabien Nury’s French graphic novel of the same name. As you can probably guess, it’s a politically-themed satire, a genre the writer and director knows very well.

The Death of Stalin takes place in March 1953 during the last days of dictator Josef Stalin’s life, and tracks the chaos and upheaval of the Soviet regime following his death. You can find the graphic novel for purchase via a few different retailers online, although there isn’t much information about it and it doesn’t seem to have been widely distributed.

Iannucci recently left Veep after four seasons on the HBO series, and is also known for his work on the BBC series The Thick of It, which he adapted into the acclaimed political satire film In the Loop, starring Peter Capaldi and James Gandolfini. The writer/director has also worked on other British series, including Alan Partridge, starring Steve Coogan.