Tweet about Trump movie was as a joke, but Hollywood might make it a reality

That escalated quickly: An idea for a movie about a deluded President Donald Trump, pitched on the fly on Twitter by "Veep" creator Armando Iannucci, could actually wind up on the big screen.

At 6.17am on Wednesday (hours before the New York Times published an account by an anonymous Trump administration official that depicted the president as dangerously amoral and surrounded by aides working to keep his worst tendencies in check) Iannucci tweeted what seemed like a jokey idea for a movie. "Film pitch.. Trump drugged and moved to a replica Whitehouse, where he carries on thinking he's governing," he wrote. "Millions spent on hiring actors to play his staff, Senators, news anchors, people at rallies."

Iannucci concluded with a cheeky missive to Hollywood higher-ups: "There you go. Studios, your highest bid please. "

Film pitch.. Trump drugged and moved to a replica Whitehouse, where he carries on thinking he’s governing. Millions spent on hiring actors to play his staff, Senators, news anchors, people at rallies.

There you go. Studios, your highest bid please.

— Armando Iannucci (@Aiannucci) September 5, 2018

"Veep" star Julia Louis-Dreyfus quickly responded (again, probably joking), tweeting that she was "in."

Then in the wee hours of Thursday morning, Iannucci indicated that his wild idea had actually attracted a few nibbles from La La Land. And it might already have a working title: One of his followers suggested the "Dave"-esque flick should be titled "Fake America Great Again."

"Er ... looks like Hollywood's interested," he wrote. "Now what do we do?"

Shortly thereafter, the "Death of Stalin" director continued his punchy creative brainstorming, calling on his followers to undertake a quirky project. "Proposal: If you take any piece of footage of Trump in a White House meeting, and replaced Trump with a penguin, the expressions on the faces of everyone else in the room would still work," he wrote. "Twitter, let's see what you can do."

Proposal: If you take any piece of footage of Trump in a White House meeting, and replaced Trump with a penguin, the expressions on the faces of everyone else in the room would still work.

Twitter, let’s see what you can do.

— Armando Iannucci (@Aiannucci) September 6, 2018

That launched the hashtag #TrumpReplacedByPenguin, with some interesting results.

https://t.co/hEXAqYxcPl pic.twitter.com/hMIWa7cVhZ

— Chayground (@chayground) September 6, 2018

pic.twitter.com/Na8JSx6F78

— Stuart Taylor (@stuartctaylor) September 6, 2018

pic.twitter.com/3dVLHiCPyN

— ahaufstop (@ahaufstop) September 6, 2018

Done. pic.twitter.com/vOD39X47xZ

— Mélanie (@ncismelanie_) September 6, 2018

This almost makes him seem too likable. pic.twitter.com/AEF9R6SGnf