P-p-p-pick up the new trailer for The Penguin Lessons, an upcoming drama starring Steve Coogan. And also a penguin.
Coming to a cinema near you soon(ish) is The Penguin Lessons, directed by Peter Cattaneo and based on the memoir of Tom Michell, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Jeff Pope. Steve Coogan stars alongside Jonathan Pryce, Vivian El Jaber, Björn Gustafsson and Alfonsina Carrocio.
The synopsis reads as follows:
The Penguin Lessons is a story about a disillusioned Englishman who went to work in a school in Argentina in 1976. There, he found a divided nation and a class of unteachable students, only for everything to change when he rescues a penguin from an oil-slicked beach.
Steve Coogan and writer Jeff Pope have been a successful filmmaking team over the last few years. It began in 2013 with Philomena, which starred Judi Dench as the titular character, who enlists the help of journalist Martin Sixsmith to track down her son. The film received multiple Oscar and BAFTA nominations. They then collaborated on the wonderful Laurel and Hardy biopic Stan And Ollie, garnering even more award nominations and critical acclaim.
Their next film was the 2022 drama The Lost King, directed by Stephen Frears and inspired by the true story of Philippa Langley (Sally Hawkins), who initiated the search of a car park in Leicester to find the remains of Richard III (probably played by a pretend skeleton). That particular project saw Coogan sued for libel.
Coogan and Pope recently revealed that they will be reuniting with Stan And Ollie star John C Reilly for thespian comedy The Players, which will also be directed by Cattaneo. The plot will follow a pair of warring actors as they clash over their performance styles while putting on a Shakespeare play in New York.
You can currently see Coogan playing several characters in Armando Iannucci’s stage adaptation of Dr Strangelove, which is playing at the Noel Coward Theatre in the West End of London until the 25th January 2025.
The Penguin Lessons will waddle adorably into UK cinemas on the 18th April 2025.
Watch the trailer below:
