Hugh Laurie to star in an HBO space comedy from the creator of Veep

By William Hughes | August 22, 2018 | 11:44pm

Aux Features Unknown

Hugh Laurie is all set to add yet another confident American dude to his collection of comedy roles, with THR reporting that the House star—currently set up with a recurring role on Veep—will soon be serving as the lead in a new sci-fi comedy pilot for HBO. Laurie will star as an American astronaut in the upcoming Avenue 5, the latest TV project from Veep creator Armando Iannucci.

Details on the futuristic series are sparse, but Laurie will apparently play Ryan Clark, the captain of the titular spaceship. Laurie—whose last regular TV gig was Hulu’s noirish Chance—has worked with the The Death Of Stalin director a few times now, most recently on the upcoming Dickens adaptation The Personal History Of David Copperfield. Meanwhile, Avenue 5 represents Iannucci’s first return to HBO since 2015, when he stepped away from his Veep showrunning duties after the show’s fourth season.