Steve Coogan says Alan Partridge: The Movie will be set in US (From The Argus)

Steve Coogan says Alan Partridge: The Movie will be set in US

4:51pm Friday 11th December 2009

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Steve Coogan looks set to be spending some time away from his Hove home after revealing today he will set Alan Partridge: The Movie in America.

The 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 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.

He 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."

The 44-year-old Night At The Museum star said: "We're doing it in the States, but I'm not going to try and Americanise it.

"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.

The character of Alan partridge was originally created for BBC Radio 4 programme On The Hour in 1991 and went on to appear in BBC news parody The Day Today, before getting his own TV show Knowing Me, Knowing You... with Alan Partridge in 1994.

He returned to television in 1997 and 2002 with the sitcom I'm Alan Partridge and Coogan revived the character in a stand-up tour last year.

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