Hugh Laurie to Play Space Captain in HBO Sci-Fi Comedy From 'Veep' Creator
Hugh Laurie needs to update his intergalactic passport: The House alum has signed on to star in HBO’s sci-fi comedy pilot Avenue 5, from Veep creator Armando Iannucci, TVLine has learned.
HBO ordered a pilot and back-up scripts for the series back in September, describing it simply as “a comedy, set in the future, mostly in space.” Laurie will play Ryan Clark, “the charming and in-control American Captain of Avenue 5,” per the network. The casting reunites Laurie with Iannucci, after the actor played VP candidate Tom James on Seasons 4 through 6 of HBO’s award-winning political satire. (Iannucci left Veep after Season 4.)
A native of the UK, Laurie is best known to U.S. audiences as surly genius Dr. Gregory House on the Fox medical drama House, a role that Laurie played for eight seasons, winning a pair of Golden Globes. In 2016, he earned an Emmy nomination for his turn as villainous arms dealer Richard Roper in the AMC miniseries The Night Manager. He’s also set to co-star alongside George Clooney and Kyle Chandler in the upcoming Hulu adaptation of Catch-22. His Hulu drama Chance was cancelled earlier this year after two seasons.
Hugh Laurie in an HBO sci-fi comedy from the creator of Veep… does that add up to must-see TV to you? Sound off on the casting in the comments.
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