‘Bad Major’: Jason Isaacs, Josh Gad & Ruth Negga Enlisted For WWII Dark Comedy From ‘Death Of Stalin’ Writer

“Bad Major,” a new dark comedy set during World War II in Europe, has enlisted an impressive trio of actors to star with Jason Isaacs, Ruth Negga, and Josh Gad being tapped for lead parts. This will be a feature adaptation of the novella “The Tót Family” by acclaimed Hungarian author István Örkény.

It sounds like “Bad Major” is most likely going to be similar in satirical tone to projects like “Jojo Rabbit” or “The Death of Stalin,” which isn’t all that shocking, as Peter Fellows (best known for HBO‘s sci-fi comedy series “Avenue 5” and “Veep“) helped work on the latter’s script and will be making his feature directorial debut with the project.

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Deadline’s reporting on the project also provided a brief logline for the film:

“Set against the summer of 1942, as war rages in Europe, the period comedy follows the family of a teenage boy who is away fighting at the front. In a bid to secure his safety, they welcome his volatile commanding officer into their rural village home. The sociopathic army major rapidly forces them to abide by his insane, obsessive rules, and the family is pushed to absurd and devastating extremes in the name of love.

Others named among the cast of “Bad Major” are veteran film/stage actor Derek Jacobi (“Gladiator”) and British comedian Rosie Jones (“Call the Midwife”).

“I’m thrilled to be making ‘Bad Major’ with this fantastic ensemble of brilliantly funny, powerful actors,” said Fellows in an official statement. “Based on István Örkény’s masterpiece of psychological warfare, family dynamics, and cultural conditioning, my adaptation will ground these themes within a properly funny, heart-wrenching film about desperation, loss, and the absurd lengths to which human beings will go to in order to protect the ones they love.”

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The film is still trying to find a distributor as financier Global Constellation is teaming up with Gersh on the film’s sales, with the former handling international rights and Gersh tackling the North American side of things.