Steve Coogan and Armando Iannucci Staff for ‘Dr. Strangelove’ Stage Adaptation

Steve Coogan goes full Peter Sellers. The Alan Partridge and Philomena star has signed on for a British stage adaptation of Stanley Kubrick’s seminal nuclear struggle satire Dr. Strangelove or: How I Realized to Cease Worrying and Love the Bomb, with Coogan set to play a number of roles, as Sellers did within the 1964 function movie.

Veep and Dying of Stalin director Armando Iannucci is adapting Kubrick’s movie for the stage along with Sean Foley. Foley, who has had West Finish success with such diversifications as The Painkiller starring Kenneth Branagh and Ben Elton’s The Upstart Crow, may even direct the play, which is about to premiere at London’s Noel Coward Theatre on Oct. 8, 2024.

The official Stanley Kubrick account on X, previously generally known as Twitter, made the Coogan casting announcement on Tuesday.

BREAKING NEWS – Steve Coogan named as lead within the stage adaptation of Stanley Kubrick’s darkish comedy Dr. Strangelove.
Taking up a number of roles Coogan, one of many UK’s most acclaimed actors, will seem on the Noel Coward Theatre in 2024.
tickets on sale https://t.co/fvEzMhBFWe pic.twitter.com/SVsCQKahT9

— Stanley Kubrick (@StanleyKubrick) September 26, 2023

Iannucci confirmed the information on his personal account, saying he “can’t wait to get began” on the variation. “We’re all hoping to ship folks dwelling with a smile and a scream.”

Can’t wait to get began. We’re all hoping to ship folks dwelling with a smile and a scream. #DrStrangelove https://t.co/HYgRm05s1h

— Armando Iannucci (@Aiannucci) September 26, 2023

Sellers performed three radically completely different roles in Dr. Strangelove: the unflappable group Captain Lionel Mandrake, the befuddled U.S. President Merkin Muffley, and the wheelchair-bound German rocket scientist Dr. Strangelove. He was set to tackle a fourth function, that of cowboy bomber pilot Main ‘King’ Kong, earlier than the extra culturally-appropriate Slim Pickens was ultimately forged. Sellers picked up an Oscar nomination for his triple-threat efficiency.

The stage model of Dr. Strangelove, the first-ever adaptation of a Kubrick movie, is being produced by Patrick Myles and David Luff, in affiliation with Tulchin Bartner Productions and Playful Productions. Jonathan Cameron is the chief producer for the Stanley Kubrick Property. The movie, a few rogue U.S. basic who triggers nuclear armageddon, is taken into account a masterpiece of comedy and darkish satire.

“The thought of placing Dr Strangelove on stage is daunting, an enormous accountability,” Coogan mentioned in an announcement. “It’s additionally an thrilling problem, a possibility to convey this timeless traditional to a brand new viewers. Realizing that I might be a part of a artistic staff led by Sean Foley and Armando Iannucci means I might be working with the most effective folks. Sean is a grasp of stage comedy and Armando and I began working with one another over 30 years in the past. We made some memorable comedy collectively so it’s nice to be collaborating with him as soon as once more.”