Philip Seymour Hoffman’s tragic death rocked the film world in February this year, but it also had repercussions for the TV universe. Hoffman had been part of a pilot for a new show on US cable channel Showtime called Happyish, which has just been ordered to series when he passed. Now the dark comedy is headed back to the pilot stage, with Steve Coogan taking over the lead.
He’ll be Thom Payne, a 44-year-old British expat working in the States whose ordinary life is thrown into disarray when his boss is replaced by a 25-year-old wunderkind who spouts terms like “viral” and “social marketing”. The new arrival makes him question whether he’s satisfied with his situation.
According to Deadline, producers Shalom Auslander, Ken Kwapis and Alexandra Beattie had been developing the project for years before finally getting the green light to make the show. Given the long break between the pilot and the new shoot (planned for December), most of the cast has moved on to other jobs, though Kathryn Hahn, who co-starred in the original version, is reportedly talking about coming back. “Steve’s range is astounding – he is a comedy legend, a gifted satirist, and he possesses the unique combination of talents this role demands,” Auslander tells Deadline. Standing in for Hoffman? Hardly the easiest task in the world...
Coogan will be back on the big screen in Night At The Museum: Secret Of The Tomb, which arrives here on December 19.