Steve Coogan in Hamlet 2

I'm a massive Steve Coogan fan, but in the UK he's somewhat hobbled by his greatest comedy creation: faded Norwich TV/radio personality Alan Partridge. Everything he does is compared to that masterpiece, although his recent sitcom Saxondale began to carve out its own niche last year.

Coogan has been building a fan-base in the US for awhile now -- primarily in small roles given to him by showbiz fans. Ben Stiller possibly helped get him involved in Night At The Museum, and Coogan has a main role in Stiller's upcoming comedy Tropic Thunder as a reckless film director. Larry David also got Coogan a sizeable role in an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, playing Larry's therapist.

He's not exactly a big star in the US, but there's apparently a subculture of comedy fans who have seen his back-catalogue of work, and appreciate it over there. It's sort of like how Ricky Gervais was only an "underground" hit with industry insiders after The Office started getting some buzz in L.A -- nabbing him guest spots on the likes of Alias because he was a cult figure.

I think Coogan's trying to make the same leap Gervais made from cult figure to wider appeal. He got some great reviews playing Tony Wilson in 24 Hour Party People (2002) and popped up in Coffee & Cigarettes (2003), before getting a big Hollywood try-out in Around The World In 80 Days (2004) alongside Jackie Chan. But that film turned out to be a boring, unfunny mess.

He divides his time between the US and UK, it seems -- filming Saxondale and A Cock & Bull Story in the UK, while nipping back across the pond to work on Night At The Museum and a small role in Marie Antoinette (2006).

Anyway, apart from a part in Tropic Thunder this summer, and a return in Night At The Museum 2: Escape From The Smithsonian as that tiny Roman, Coogan is properly headlining the comedy Hamlet 2 this year. In it he plays a high school teacher who tries to motivate his students and save the drama department by writing a crappy sequel to Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Hamlet 2 is written by the guys behind South Park and Team America, and became one of the Sundance Festival's biggest purchases for distribution -- just behind Little Miss Sunshine's record. The red-band trailer is above, so play it and watch. It looks sort of interesting, but it didn't make me laugh particularly hard, I have to say. One to keep an eye on, though, as the pedigree is good...

I'm just glad Steve Coogan's getting a big role in a US comedy -- but whatever happened to that idea for him to co-star with Ben Stiller in a remake of The Professionals? Him as a suave Roger Moore type to Stiller's Tony Curtis: that would be perfect.