Steve Coogan’s Hollywood career has been a bit of a stop-start affair. One of the biggest names in UK comedy since the early 90s, he broke through to the big screen with his great performance in Michael Winterbottom’s “24 Hour Party People,” but he’s never managed to become a household name in the States; his first big-budget starring role, in “Around the World in 80 Days,” alongside Jackie Chan, fell flat while Sundance hit “Hamlet 2” failed to translate outside Park City.
Things are improving for the actor, however. He’s spent the last few years stealing the show in small roles in hits like of “Night at the Museum,” “Tropic Thunder” and “Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief,” and now it looks like he’s ready for his close-up again. Coogan is teaming with the writers behind the imminent “Dinner for Schmucks” for a new comedy for Focus Features, based on material familiar to the star. The project is a remake of a 90 minute one-off 2002 BBC comedy-drama that Coogan starred in named “Cruise of the Gods,” about the two stars of a 1980s sci-fi series, one now a big star, one a has-been, who are reunited on a cruise for fans of the show. It’s unclear if the film is keeping its original title (as Deadline suggests), or if it’s been renamed “The Great Beyond,” as the LA Times and UK comedy site Chortle, who originally broke the story last week, suggest.
The original was written by Tim Firth (“Calendar Girls”) and Peter Baynham (“Borat”), but the remake will see David Guion and Michael Handelman, who wrote the Zach Braff vehicle “The Ex” as well as “Dinner for Schmucks,” adapt and make their directorial debuts. Coogan originally played the successful half of the central pair, opposite his “Tristram Shandy” co-star Rob Brydon, but, while we assume Coogan will reprise his role, our guess is that Brydon’s non-existent profile in the States will mean someone else will take the part — a shame, as it was one of the comedian’s best performances.
Instead, we imagine a rising US comedy star will take the role, or even Ben Stiller, if he fancies taking a pay cut — Stiller is producing, through his Red Hour banner. The original cast also included now-famous names like David Walliams (who appears in “Schmucks”) and James Corden (the upcoming “Gulliver’s Travels”), while Russell Brand, who was originally cast in Corden’s role, was replaced for bad behavior. The original is well worth seeking out — a low-key, gently funny comedy drama, that was also rather moving in spots. Hopefully the new creative team will keep its spirit and tone intact. In the meantime, Coogan can be seen as the villain in Adam McKay’s “The Other Guys,” opening in a few weeks, and he’s also working on a film version of his most famous creation, Alan Partridge, with “In the Loop” writer-director Armando Iannucci.
