Coogan: Partridge movie set in US (From Salisbury Journal)

Coogan: Partridge movie set in US

4:59pm Friday 11th December 2009

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Steve Coogan has revealed he will set Alan Partridge: The Movie in America.

The British actor and comedian confirmed the long-rumoured film spin-off of his cult character was finally under way, and while he plans to make the film in the US, he vowed not to "Americanise" Partridge.

Coogan, who made his name playing the socially incompetent TV and radio presenter on British radio and television and has gone on to forge a career in Hollywood, told Empire.com: "We're doing a deal right now - I can't say who with - and there'll probably be an official announcement in the next couple of months... we're doing it in the States, but I'm not going to try and Americanise it."

The 44-year-old went on: "I wouldn't try to do the same observational stuff here that I do in Britain. I'm not going to come over here and go 'right, now I'm going to try and invent five different characters who are all American', because I'm not steeped in American culture. It wouldn't work.

"I'm so ingrained in British culture that for me to observe the minutiae of being British in all its different ways is very easy. I couldn't claim to do that here, and if I did they'd end up being caricatures.

"It'll be a British fool/idiot character in a movie that should appeal to everybody."

Coogan hopes to begin shooting the film, which is as yet untitled, "the back end of next year".

He plans to write the script between his appearances in Michael Winterbottom's road movie The Trip, co-starring Rob Brydon, and an untitled Justin Theroux project for HBO.

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