Steve Coogan will return to Cruise Of The Gods for the movie version of the 2002 BBC TV hit. New York screenwriters Michael Handelman and David Guion have confirmed they're working on a big-screen version of the one-off comedy drama which was originally produced by Coogan's Baby Cow Productions. "We haven't been writing with him but we're huge admirers," Handelman said of the Alan Partridge creator. "We've seen all of his stuff. He's a brilliant actor. His work with Michael Winterbottom has been incredibly subtle and we hope to find that balance with him too." The screenwriter explained: "Cruise Of The Gods was never shown here (in the US), so we are remaking it." "Ours is called The Great Beyond and it's the same basic premise about two actors who were on a TV show some years ago. "One became very successful and one has never worked again and has never been able to work out his hatred of the past." The original starred Rob Brydon as the out-of-work actor but in the US version it's likely the roles will be reversed. "Steve played the guy who went on to be a star in the original one, but will play the guy who did not become a star in the new one," Guion revealed. Casting will start soon to find a co-star for Steve. "We're still talking about that but I think the idea would be to find an American star to pair him with," he explained.
